Brian Schatz Bio
Brian Emanuel Schatz (born October 20, 1972) is an American politician who has served as a United States senator from Hawaii since 2012. A progressive Democrat, he represents the Aloha State in the U.S. Senate, where his work has focused on climate change, healthcare, education, and bringing federal resources back to Hawaii. Over the course of his career, Schatz has moved from community organizing and nonprofit leadership to statewide office and now to one of the most prominent seats in the federal government.
Before joining the Senate, Schatz built a long résumé in Hawaii public life, including service in the Hawaii House of Representatives, a tenure as chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, and a term as the state’s 12th lieutenant governor. He was appointed to the U.S. Senate in December 2012 to fill the vacancy left by the death of Daniel Inouye, and he has since won election to the seat in his own right three times.
Early Life and Background
Brian Emanuel Schatz was born on October 20, 1972, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, into a Jewish-American family. He is the son of cardiologist Irwin Jacob Schatz and Barbara Jane (née Binder), and he has an identical twin brother, Steve. The family later moved to Hawaii when Brian and Steve were two years old, and he grew up immersed in the islands that would eventually shape his political career.
Schatz’s father, Irwin Jacob Schatz, is remembered as the first physician to publicly object to the ethics of the Tuskegee syphilis experiment. In a 1965 letter, Irwin Schatz wrote that he was “astounded” that physicians were allowing patients with a potentially fatal disease to remain untreated. Brian Schatz has said that, although his father rarely spoke about the letter, it influenced his own decision to pursue public service.
Schatz attended Punahou School in Honolulu, the same high school that produced Barack Obama. He went on to Pomona College in Claremont, California, where he studied abroad for a term in Kenya through the School for International Training. He graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy, and he returned to Hawaii after college to teach at Punahou and to take on roles in the nonprofit sector.
Path to US Politics
Schatz’s entry into public life began in the nonprofit world. He became active in his community as a teenager through Youth for Environmental Services and later served as chief executive officer of Helping Hands Hawaii, an Oahu social service agency, and as director of the Makiki Community Library and the Center for a Sustainable Future. He was also a member of the 2007 class of Pacific Century Fellows. In March 2010, Schatz stepped down from Helping Hands Hawaii to run for statewide office.
In 1998, Schatz won a seat in the Hawaii House of Representatives, defeating the Republican incumbent in the 24th district. After redistricting, he represented the 25th district, which includes Makiki and Tantalus on Oahu, winning reelection three more times before leaving the House in 2006. In April 2008, he was elected chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, a position he held until 2010, during which time the party grew its active membership and helped deliver Hawaii’s strongest support for Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election.
Brian Schatz Career
Early Career (1998–2006)
Schatz spent eight years in the Hawaii House of Representatives, building a record on clean energy, education, and community development. He won his first race in 1998 by defeating the Republican incumbent 53% to 47% and went on to win three more elections, often by wide margins. His time in the state legislature gave him early experience working with Hawaii’s labor unions and progressive advocacy groups.
After leaving the House in 2006, Schatz briefly attempted a run for the U.S. House in Hawaii’s 2nd congressional district, finishing sixth in a crowded Democratic primary. He returned to party work and nonprofit leadership before being elected state party chairman in 2008, a role that positioned him at the center of Hawaii politics heading into the 2010 election cycle.
Lieutenant Governor (2010–2012)
In January 2010, Schatz announced his candidacy for lieutenant governor of Hawaii, with campaign priorities that included clean-energy jobs, public education, and technology upgrades for state government. He also voiced support for a Hawaii civil unions bill. With endorsements from several labor unions, he won the Democratic primary with 34.8% of the vote and joined the ticket of gubernatorial candidate Neil Abercrombie.
The Abercrombie-Schatz ticket won the November 2010 general election, and Schatz was inaugurated as Hawaii’s lieutenant governor on December 6, 2010, alongside Abercrombie. During his two years in that office, he focused on sustainability initiatives and on connecting the state administration with community and nonprofit partners across Hawaii.
Breakthrough (2012–2014)
Schatz’s career changed dramatically on December 17, 2012, when Senator Daniel Inouye died. Inouye had asked Governor Abercrombie to appoint Representative Colleen Hanabusa to finish his term, but under Hawaii law the governor was required to choose from three names submitted by the state Democratic Party. On December 26, 2012, the party submitted Schatz, Hanabusa, and Esther Kia’aina, and Abercrombie appointed Schatz the same day. He was sworn in by Vice President Joe Biden on December 27, becoming only the sixth person to represent Hawaii in the U.S. Senate.
At 40, Schatz was the youngest U.S. senator in the 112th Congress. He soon turned his attention to climate and energy, organizing an overnight Senate talkathon on climate change in March 2014. He also announced a bid for the seat in his own right, fending off a challenge from Hanabusa in the Democratic primary by about 1,782 votes. In the 2014 special election, he defeated Republican Campbell Cavasso with nearly 70% of the vote.
Democratic Era (2014–Present)
Since completing Inouye’s term, Schatz has won three more Senate elections, easily defeating nominal opposition in 2016 and taking 69.4% of the vote against state representative Bob McDermott in 2022. In the Senate he has developed a reputation as a liberal Democrat, while still working across the aisle on issues ranging from veterans’ benefits to conservation. In April 2023, Morning Consult ranked him the most popular senator in the country, with an average approval rating of 65%.
Schatz has been a primary sponsor of seven bills that became law and a co-sponsor of dozens more, including the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2021 and the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act. He helped raise the federal minimum smoking age to 21, secured paid family leave for federal workers, and expanded access to telehealth services. He is also one of the so-called “Three Climateers” in the Senate, alongside Martin Heinrich and Sheldon Whitehouse, and helped shape the climate provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. In 2022, he and Senator Todd Young authored the Yes in My Backyard (YIMBY) Act, which was signed into law as part of a broader spending package.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of Schatz’s most prominent recent moments came on January 6, 2021, when he participated in the certification of the 2020 Electoral College vote. He was inside the Capitol when supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the building, an event he called “despicable,” and he went on to vote to impeach Trump twice. He also clashed publicly with Senator Josh Hawley over judicial nominations and U.S. support for Ukraine, citing Hawley’s prior votes on those issues. In November 2025, Puck identified Schatz as a possible candidate to succeed Chuck Schumer as Senate Democratic leader.
Brian Schatz Family
Family Background and Public Service Lineage
Schatz’s father, Irwin Jacob Schatz, was a cardiologist originally from the Saint Boniface neighborhood of Winnipeg, Manitoba, who is remembered for an early and largely ignored protest against the Tuskegee syphilis study. His mother is Barbara Jane (née Binder), and he has three brothers, including his identical twin, Steve. Steve Schatz has worked in Hawaii education policy, including as executive director of Hawaii P-20 Partnerships for Education at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Personal Life
Schatz is married to Linda Kwok Kai Yun, and the couple has two children. His father died on April 1, 2015, of metastatic melanoma. As a U.S. senator, Schatz remains one of Pomona College’s highest-profile alumni and was invited to deliver the commencement address for the Class of 2017.