Brian Schatz is the senior United States Senator from Hawaii, having served in the Senate since 2012. A member of the Democratic Party, he was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1972 and grew up in Honolulu. He earned his degree from Pomona College in California. Before his appointment to the Senate, he served in the Hawaii House of Representatives, chaired the Hawaii Democratic Party, and served as Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii. He was appointed to the Senate in December 2012 by Governor Neil Abercrombie to fill the seat left vacant by the death of the legendary Senator Daniel Inouye, and was subsequently elected to full terms in 2014 and 2016.
In the Senate, Schatz has established himself as a leading voice on technology policy, climate change, and Native Hawaiian affairs. He chairs the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband, where he has focused on social media regulation, broadband access, and artificial intelligence governance. He has been one of the Senate's most vocal advocates for aggressive federal action on climate change and has worked to advance legislation addressing the impacts of rising seas and intensifying storms on Pacific island communities.