Neil Abercrombie

Neil Abercrombie, born on June twenty-six, nineteen thirty-eight, in Buffalo, New York, is a distinguished American politician, teacher, and sociologist. A proud graduate of Union College and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Abercrombie embarked on his political journey in nineteen seventy-five, securing a seat in the Hawai'i House of Representatives. His tenure there lasted until nineteen seventy-nine, when he transitioned to the Hawai'i State Senate.

In nineteen eighty-six, following the resignation of Cecil Heftel from the U.S. House of Representatives, Abercrombie was elected in a special election to fill the vacant seat. Although he lost the Democratic primary for a full term on the same day, he completed Heftel's term until January nineteen eighty-seven. His political career continued as he served on the Honolulu City Council from nineteen eighty-eight to nineteen ninety, before returning to Congress in nineteen ninety-one.

Abercrombie represented Hawai'i's 1st congressional district, which encompasses urban Honolulu, for nine consecutive terms from nineteen ninety-three until two thousand ten. With the incumbent Governor Linda Lingle unable to seek reelection due to term limits, Abercrombie announced his candidacy for governor in March two thousand nine. He triumphed in the five-candidate Democratic primary in September two thousand ten, garnering fifty-nine percent of the vote.

In the general election held on November second, two thousand ten, Abercrombie and his running mate Brian Schatz faced off against Republican nominee Lieutenant Governor Duke Aiona. They emerged victorious, winning fifty-seven percent of the vote, and Abercrombie was sworn into office on December sixth, two thousand ten. However, his governorship came to an end in two thousand fourteen when he was defeated in the Democratic primary by state senator David Ige, who subsequently won the general election.