Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii was sworn into the US Senate, replacing retiring US Senator Daniel Akaka. Hirono is the first immigrant woman and first Asian American woman ever elected to the US Senate. With the recent death of Senator Daniel Inouye, it will be the first time in decades Hawaii has not been represented in the Senate by two Asian Americans. Lt Governor Brian Schatz was appointed to replace Inouye by Governor Neil Abercrombie. “It has been a privilege to serve with Senators Inouye and Akaka, and I look forward to building on the strong foundations they have laid,” Hirono told Maui Now
