REP. JILL TOKUDA

Jill N. Tokuda was born and raised in Kāneʻohe, located in Hawaiʻi’s Second Congressional District. She attended Kānʻeohe Elementary and King Intermediate schools, the same schools her two sons, Matt and Aden, attend today. Jill and her husband, Kyle Michibata, graduated from Castle High School, where they first met.

From an early age, Jill was inspired by conversations with her mother and speeches from Patsy T. Mink to pursue a career in public service. She became the first person in her family to attend college and received a BA in International Relations with a minor in Japanese Studies from The George Washington University.

Jill has worked in the government, non-profit, and private sectors before running for Hawai’i State Senate in 2006, where she represented Kāne’ohe and Kailua for 12 years until 2018. During her time in office, she chaired several committees, including the Ways and Means Committee, where she was responsible for balancing the state’s $14 billion budget. She also chaired the Labor, Education, Higher Education, and Agriculture and Hawaiian Affairs committees and served as Majority Whip.

In 2022, Jill ran for Congress, winning a six-way Primary Election with over half the vote and the General Election with 67% of the vote total. She is serving her first term in Congress, sitting on the House Agriculture and House Armed Services Committees. She was also appointed to serve on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Furthermore, Jill has been elected by her colleagues as the Freshman Representative to the Congressional Asian American Pacific Caucus and is the Vice Chair of Communications for the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

A proud graduate of James B. Castle High School, Jill received her BA in International Relations and a minor in Japanese Studies from the George Washington University. Married to Kyle Michibata, they have two sons, Matt (age 13) and Aden (age 12), who now attend the same public schools as their mom did — King Intermediate and Kāneʻohe Elementary.