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Neil Abercrombie

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Neil Abercrombie
7th Governor of Hawaii
Assumed office
December 6, 2010
LieutenantBrian Schatz
Preceded byLinda Lingle
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Hawaii's 1st district
In office
January 3, 1991 – February 28, 2010
Preceded byPat Saiki
Succeeded byCharles Djou
In office
September 20, 1986 – January 3, 1987
Preceded byCecil Heftel
Succeeded byPat Saiki
Member of the Honolulu City Council
In office
1988–1990
Hawaii State Senator
In office
1980–1986
Member of the
Hawaii House of Representatives
In office
1975–1979
Personal details
Born (1938-06-26) June 26, 1938 (age 86)
Buffalo, New York
Political partyDemocratic Party
SpouseNancie Caraway
ResidenceWashington Place
Alma materUnion College
University of Hawaii, Manoa
ProfessionBusiness consultant

Neil Abercrombie (born June 26, 1938) is the seventh and current Governor of Hawaii. He was the Democratic U.S. Representative of the First Congressional District of Hawaii which comprises urban Honolulu. He served in Congress from 1991 to 2010 when he resigned to successfully run for governor. He was also a state legislator and member of the Honolulu City Council.

Early life and education

Earlier photo of Abercrombie

Abercrombie was born in Buffalo, New York, to Vera June and Donald Abercrombie.[2] Upon graduating from Williamsville High School (now Williamsville South High School), he went on to pursue studies in sociology at Union College in Schenectady, New York. There, Abercrombie obtained his bachelor's degree in 1959. He arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii a month after statehood in September 1959 to study at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa where he earned a master's degree in sociology and later a doctorate in American Studies.[3] There he attended classes with, and befriended, current United States President Barack Obama's parents, Ann Dunham and Barack Obama, Sr.[4]

Political career

Abercrombie first participated in a political campaign in 1970, seeking the Democratic nomination to the United States Senate. Unsuccessful, Abercrombie ran for the Hawaii State House of Representatives where he served from 1975 to 1979. He moved to the Hawaii State Senate, where he served from 1980 to 1986. After Representative Cecil Heftel resigned from the United States Congress in July 1986 to run for Governor of Hawaiʻi, Abercrombie was elected to the House in a September 1986 special election to complete Heftel's unexpired term. However, on the same day Abercrombie lost the Democratic primary for a full two-year term to Mufi Hannemann, who went on to lose to Republican Pat Saiki in the general election.[5]

Abercrombie then set his sights on a seat of the Honolulu City Council. He won the race and served from 1988 to 1990.

U.S. Congress

Abercrombie’s official 109th Congressional photo

At the end of his council tenure, Abercrombie once again ran for Congress and won in 1990, and has since been reelected ten times. In the 2008 election, he won with 70.6% of the vote.

Neil Abercrombie was a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and compiled a generally liberal voting record. He supported and voted for the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act. On October 10, 2002, he was among the 133 members of the House who voted against authorizing the invasion of Iraq. He cosponsored H.R. 1312 (Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Protection Act of 2005) on July 28, 2005. He took issue with the Vatican over not listing torture as a sin.[6]

According to Project Vote Smart, Abercrombie holds the following issue positions. He is pro-choice, and has voted against a ban on partial birth abortion. He voted with the interests of NARAL and Planned Parenthood 100% between 2000-2006. He has voted for bills designed to make it easier for Americans to vote, such as the motor voter bill. He has advocated strongly for civil liberties; his voting record is supported by both the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and American Library Association. He has also voted against a constitutional amendment to limit marriage to being between one man and one woman. Notably, he was one of only nine representatives not to cast a vote for or against the USA PATRIOT Act in 2001. In 2005, he voted against the extension of the act, calling it “a blank check to trample civil liberties." In 2007, he signed on as a co-sponsor of H.R. 676, which would have established a national health insurance program.[7] He resigned from Congress shortly before the vote on the 2010 health insurance reform bill.[8]


2010 gubernatorial campaign

Neil Abercrombie and his running mate Brian Schatz on the day of the election

On Sunday, March 9, 2009, he announced his intention to again run for Governor of Hawaii instead of running for an 11th term.[9] On December 11, 2009 he announced that he would resign from Congress to concentrate on his gubernatorial bid. He was succeeded in Congress by Republican Charles Djou, the first Republican elected to Congress from Hawaii since Congresswoman Pat Saiki.

Abercrombie definitively defeated his challenger, former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, in the heated 2010 Democratic gubernatorial primary election on September 18, 2010, 59.3 percent to 37.7 percent.[10][11]

On November 2, 2010, Neil Abercrombie defeated his Republican opponent James Aiona by a margin of 58.2% to 41.1% to become Hawaii's 7th governor.[12]

Governor of Hawaii

Abercrombie was sworn in as Governor of Hawaii on December 6, 2010, the first gubernatorial victor of the 2010 election cycle to be sworn in office. He succeeded Republican Governor Linda Lingle. He will be up for re-election as Governor in 2014.

Abercrombie was 72 when he was sworn in as governor, and was the oldest current United States governor for a little less than a month. However, on January 3, 2011, he lost that title to Jerry Brown of California, who is two months older than him.

Abercrombie has vowed to end the conspiracy theories surrounding President Barack Obama’s birth certificate. A spokesperson for Abercrombie says he will ask the office of the Attorney General what they can do. [13]

Personal Life

In 1981, Abercrombie married Nancie Caraway,[14] who is a political scientist and feminist writer at the University of Hawaii-Manoa's Globalization Research Center.

Abercrombie is an avid weightlifter and has a stated goal of lifting 200 lbs more than his age on each birthday.[15] It has been reported and witnessed by other members of Congress that Abercrombie can indeed do this. On his 72nd birthday, he bench pressed 272 lbs.[16]

Abercrombie currently resides in the Manoa Valley area of Honolulu, Hawaii.

References

  1. ^ DePledge, Derrick (September 18, 2010). "Blowout: Abercrombie to face Aiona after trouncing Hannemann". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved September 19, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ abercrombie
  3. ^ www.neilabercrombie.com
  4. ^ The Story of Barack Obama's Mother, Amanda Ripley, Time (magazine), April 9, 2008
  5. ^ Rudin, Ken (2006-09-27). "Democrats Poised to Make Gubernatorial Gains". NPR. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
  6. ^ Vatican letter
  7. ^ "Project Vote Smart - - Voting Record". Votesmart.org. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
  8. ^ Neil Abercrombie VoteSmart.org
  9. ^ "Neil Abercrombie formally announces run for Hawaii governor's seat - Hawaii News Now - KGMB and KHNL Home". Khnl.com. 2009-03-09. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
  10. ^ Abercrombie Wins Nomination in Hawaii
  11. ^ Toeplitz, Shira (2010-09-19). "Abercrombie triumphs in Hawaii". Politico.com. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
  12. ^ Governor Map - Election Results 2010 - The New York Times
  13. ^ [1], Yahoo News, Dec 28, 2010.
  14. ^ New York Times article on their marriage
  15. ^ Albert Eisele, "Menendez: Turn the tables on journos", The Hill, July 6, 2005.
  16. ^ "SSP Daily Digest: 9/17", Swing State Project, Sep 17, 2010.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the House of Representatives
from Hawaii's 1st congressional district

1986–1987
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the House of Representatives
from Hawaii's 1st congressional district

1991–2010
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Governor of Hawaii
2010–present
Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Vice President Order of Precedence of the United States
Within Hawaii
Succeeded by
Mayor of city
in which event is held
Succeeded by
Preceded byas Governor of Alaska Order of Precedence of the United States
Outside Hawaii
Succeeded by
Acting heads of executive departments
Succeeded by
Otherwise Walter Mondale
as Former Vice President

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