Senator Daniel Akaka, a long-serving Democrat from Hawaii, died yesterday evening at the age of 93.
Akaka was the Aloha State’s first senator of Hawaiian descent and came to Washington, D.C. 28 years ago precisely to fill a seat left vacant by the death of Democrat Spark Matsunaga.
Akaka went on to win a special election later that year and re-election in 1994, 2000, and 2006. He quietly retired after the 2012 elections.
Akaka often displayed maverick tendencies, whether voting against his party’s leadership on the reauthorization of the Patriot Act or favoring oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.
Throughout his tenure, he served as the sidekick to Hawaii’s Senior Senator Daniel Inouye, a Congressional Medal of Honor winner who wielded immense influence on Capitol Hill.
Not that Akaka seemed to mind. His colleagues fondly remarked about his consistently low-key and gentle vibe, which he attributed to the spirit of Aloha.
AAN Staff
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