Senator Dan Inouye Passes Away at Age 88

The passing of venerable Senator Dan Inouye (D-HI) has brought yet another vacancy to the Senate.  Mr. Inouye, first elected to Congress as Hawaii's original member of the House of Representatives in 1959, won his first Senatorial term in 1962.  He served in this post up until yesterday.  He was the Senate’s most senior Senator and also the second-longest serving Senator after the late Robert Byrd.  Inouye was a Medal of Honor recipient and the highest-ranking Asian American in U.S. politics.  Along with retiring seat-mate Daniel Akaka (D), Hawaii had the most senior delegation in the nation.  With Inouye's death and Akaka leaving in January, the state will now have two freshman Senators, losing a combined 70 years in seniority. The Hawaii seat now becomes the 35th in the 2014 election cycle.  Gov. Neil Abercrombie (D) will choose an interim appointment who will serve until a 2014 special election is held concurrently with the regular November vote.  The winner will then serve the remaining two years of Inouye's term, meaning the seat will be contested for a full six-year stint in 2016. For more information, please contact David Ashinoff at (202) 547-5013 or ashinoffd@agc.org.