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James Aiona
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office December 4, 2002 |
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| Governor | Linda Lingle |
| Preceded by | Mazie Hirono |
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| Born | June 8, 1955 Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Vivian Aiona |
| Profession | Legal Consultant |
James R. "Duke" Aiona, Jr. (born June 8, 1955), is the current Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii. He is of Chinese, Portuguese and Hawaiian descent. Prior to his election to the office in 2002, he was a jurist, serving both as an attorney and a judge for the state.
He got his nickname "Duke", named after Dodgers centerfielder Duke Snider, from his father, James Aiona, Sr.
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Background
Aiona was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. He attended Saint Louis School, a local Roman Catholic academy of the Diocese of Honolulu. Upon graduating high school, Aiona left the island to pursue a bachelor of arts degree in political science, which he received from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California in 1977. Aiona returned to Hawaiʻi and graduated from the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 1981.
In 1977, while attending law school, he met Vivian Welsh at a dance in Waikīkī. They married in 1982. They have two sons, Kulia and Makana; and two daughters, Ohulani and Kaimilani.
Judicial career
Aiona began his career as an attorney in the public sector holding various positions in the City & County of Honolulu. He was deputy prosecuting attorney for the state of Hawaiʻi under Charles Marsland. In 1990, Aiona was appointed by Governor of Hawaii John D. Waihee III to the Hawaii State Judiciary. He became a judge of the Hawaiʻi State Family Courts and had exclusive jurisdiction over cases involving legal minors involving delinquency, status offenses, abuse and neglect, termination of parental rights, adoption, guardianships and detention among others. Aiona also oversaw cases of domestic relations involving divorce, child support and custody matters.
He was known for having upset defense attorneys for the way he talked to the juvenile defendants. He believed he was supplying them with discipline. "Our young people want someone to discipline them and tell them what's right and what's wrong," he said. "They really search for that and they really appreciate that."
In 1993, Aiona was appointed to the First Circuit Court in Honolulu. The Hawaii State Circuit Courts are the primary civil and criminal courts in Hawaii. Aiona became famous for his tough rulings for drug offenses.
Lieutenant Governor
Aiona first entered politics in 2002. The incumbent governor, Ben Cayetano, was term limited. His cousin, Sam Aiona, had served as a Republican member of the state legislature. Aiona won the nomination of Lieutenant Governor to join the gubernatorial ticket led by former Mayor of Maui Linda Lingle. They ran on an "Agenda for New Beginnings", a campaign platform developed to promote Republican leadership and highlight the perceived failures of the previous forty years of Democratic administration of the state. It also cited differences between Lingle's message and the previous, more conservative platforms which Hawai ʻ i Republicans had advocated.
Focusing less on her mayoral accomplishments and more on their message of reform, the Lingle-Aiona ticket went on to defeat then Lieutenant Governor Mazie Hirono. In December, Aiona was sworn in at an inauguration ceremony at the Hawai ʻ i State Capitol rotunda to become the state's lieutenant governor.
Aiona is an advocate for Hawaiians to do more exercise, and is credited for helping fight illicit drug abuse,[1] reducing the amount of underage drinking, [2] and advocating Hawaii reduce smoking.[3] After the NFL decided to move their annual Pro Bowl to Dolphin Stadium, Aiona met with Roger Goodell to discuss bringing the Pro Bowl back to Hawaii in 2011, as well as bringing NFL preseason games to Hawaii.[4]
In 2005, Duke hosted the Annual Meeting of the National Lieutenant Governors Association.[5]
Campaign for Governor
Aiona has filed papers to run for governor in 2010.[6]
Electoral history
| Hawaii Gubernatorial Election 2002 | |||||
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| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Linda Lingle | 194,338 | 51.6 | ||
| Democratic | Mazie Hirono | 177,186 | 47.0 | ||
| Hawaii Gubernatorial Election 2006 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Linda Lingle (incumbent) | 215,313 | 62.5 | +10.9 | |
| Democratic | Randy Iwase | 121,717 | 35.4 | ||
References
- ^ http://hawaii.gov/ltgov/news/releases/2004-2003/News_Item.2003-12-01.5611
- ^ http://hawaii.gov/ltgov/news/releases/2006/10.26.06
- ^ http://hawaii.gov/ltgov/news/releases/2008%20News%20Releases/copy_of_november/hawai2018i-public-school-students-report-smoking
- ^ After the NFL decided to move their annual Pro Bowl to Dolphin Stadium, Aiona met with Roger Goodell to discuss bringing the Pro Bowl back to Hawaii in 2011, as well as bringing NFL preseason games to Hawaii.
- ^ http://hawaii.gov/ltgov/news/releases/2005/copy_of_News_Item.2005-07-26.3716
- ^ http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Jun/04/br/br5762940381.html
External links
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Mazie Hirono - D |
Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii 2002 - present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Sean Parnell |
United States order of precedence as of 2007[update] |
Succeeded by Last |
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