David Ige

David Ige (2014)

David Ige Yutaka (* 15. January 1957 in Pearl City , Hawaii Territory ) is an American politician of the Democratic Party and, since December 2014 Governor of the State of Hawaii . Previously, Ige was a member of both chambers of the state legislature .

Previous career

David Ige was the fifth of six sons of Tokyo and Tsurue Ige in Pearl City on Oahu born. His father was a worker who earned his living as a steel worker on construction sites after the Second World War . Tsurue Ige was a nurse by profession.

David Ige graduated from Pearl City High School , where he played on the tennis team. He was also involved in the student council and was elected class representative. In 1975 he went to the University of Hawaii , where he first received his bachelor's degree and his master's degree in electrical engineering in 1985 . Since then, Ige has worked as a project manager in the telecommunications sector.

His political career began in 1985 when the then incumbent Governor George Ariyoshi proposed that he occupy the vacant seat of Arnold Morgado in the Hawaii House of Representatives , who had applied for a seat on the Honolulu City Council . Ige served as a MP for 10 years until 1995. He then moved to the Hawaii Senate , which he was a member until his election as governor in November 2014.

Candidate for governor in 2014

In July 2013, Ige announced his candidacy for governor. Initially, he was given few chances, as he initially faced incumbent Neil Abercrombie in the party primaries in August 2014 . However, he managed to defeat the unpopular governor with a surprisingly clear 67 percent of the vote. His triumph over Abercrombie received a lot of media attention throughout the USA, as incumbent governors are usually re-established without any problems. With that he was nominated as his party's candidate. In the actual election on November 4, 2014 , he then ran against the former Lieutenant Governor James Aiona of the Republicans and the non-party Mufi Hannemann and was able to prevail with 49 percent of the vote. 37 percent of the voters spoke out in favor of Aiona, while Hannemann made up just under twelve percent. As his running mate , Ige chose the incumbent Lieutenant Governor Shan Tsutsui , who had been Abercrombie’s deputy since 2012.

Governor of Hawaii

After his election victory, Ige was sworn in as governor on December 1, 2014 in a solemn ceremony. He can rely on a majority of his party in both houses of the state legislature .

Ige is in favor of extensive measures against climate change . As governor, too, he made this issue a central element of his policy. On June 9, 2015, he signed a law that provides for Hawaii to switch to 100 percent renewable energy by 2040. Previously, up to this year, the target of 70 percent renewable energies had been set.

Private

David Ige has three children with his wife Dawn Amano-Ige. He is a Buddhist .

Web links

Commons : David Ige  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website
• David Ige in the National Governor Association

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Gov. Ige signs bill setting 100 percent renewable energy goal for state