Population (2010) 699,332 Cook PVI D+21 | Median income 48,686 | |
 | ||
Current Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D–Honolulu) Distribution 83.65% urban
16.35% rural Ethnicity 29.8% White
1.6% Black
28.8% Asian
9.0% Hispanic
0.4% Native American
13.5% other | ||
Hawaii's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The district encompasses all rural and most suburban areas of Oahu/Honolulu County, as well as the entire state outside of Oahu. Besides Honolulu, the district includes the counties of Kauai, Maui, Kalawao and Hawaii ("the big island"). The district spans 331 miles. The most populous community entirely within the district is Hilo. Major segments of the economy include tourism, ranching and agriculture, especially pineapple and sugarcane cultivation.
Contents
- History
- Political profile
- Residency requirement
- Living former Members of the US House of Representatives from Hawaiis 2nd congressional district
- References
The district is represented by Democrat Tulsi Gabbard.
History
When Hawaii and Alaska were admitted to the Union in 1959, both new states were granted one at-large Representative to Congress pending the next United States Census. In the reapportionment following the 1960 U.S. Census, Hawaii was entitled to a second U.S. Representative. Instead of creating two congressional districts, the state continued to elect its U.S. Representatives at-large. Two representatives were first elected in 1962 and Hawaii was first represented by two U.S. Representatives on January 2, 1963 upon the convening of the 88th Congress.
The 2nd Congressional District was created in 1971 when Hawaii began electing its representatives from districts instead of electing an at-large U.S. Representative statewide.
Political profile
Historically, the 2nd Congressional District has been the more Democratic of the state's two districts, with a Cook Partisan Voting Index of D+21.
In 2004, President George W. Bush received 44 percent of the vote in this district to 56 percent for Democrat John Kerry.
In 2008, Democrat and Hawaii native Barack Obama carried this district overwhelmingly with 73 percent of the vote.
Residency requirement
Under the U.S. Constitution, a candidate for this district only has to be a resident of Hawaii, but does not have to live in the district itself. The first non-resident to be elected to this U.S. House seat was Ed Case, a Honolulu attorney, though Case was born and raised on the Big Island of Hawaii. The home state office of the Second Congressional District is at the Prince Kuhio Federal Building near Honolulu Harbor.
Living former Members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii's 2nd congressional district
As of October 2015, there are three former members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii's 2nd congressional district who are currently alive.