Age in the 2025 Hawaii State Legislature
The State of Hawaii held its elections for a new Hawaii House of Representatives and Hawaii State Senate on November 4th 2024. On January 13th 180 state house members and 56 state senators were sworn into office by The Chief Justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court Justice Mark Recktenwald and began the currently active 33rd legislative session of the Hawaii State Legislature. Among the members elected 9 were aged 35 or younger on election day in 2024. Below is a map of these representatives within both chambers of the Hawaii State Legislature.
Hawaii Demographic Background in the 2024 Election
Preliminary estimates from CIRCLE at Tufts University indicate that 42% of young people aged 18–29 voted in the 2024 election, with turnout surpassing 50% in key battleground states. Nearly 50 million young citizens were eligible to vote nationwide, including over 8 million who turned 18 since the 2022 midterms.
Nationally, according to the Pew Research Center, Millennials in 2020 overtook Baby Boomers as the largest generation in the U.S., comprising 31% of the population, followed closely by Baby Boomers at 30.9%. Generation X makes up 28%, while the Silent Generation is the smallest at 9.9%.
This election showcased the increasing diversity of the youth electorate, with notable differences in voting patterns by race, gender, and issue priorities. Given Hawaii’s unique demographics, voters elected 9 members to the Hawaii House of Representatives, who were age 35 and under on election day. Below is information about the generational backgrounds of the current Hawaii State Legislature.
The Hawaii House of Representatives 33rd Legislative Session
Below is information covering age dynamics in the recently elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives
- the average age of Hawaii House of Representatives members is 46.04 years
- the youngest Representative Diamond Garcia was born in 1997
- the oldest Representative Gregg Takayama was born in 1952
- 9 Representatives are Young Elected Leaders age 35 or younger as of Election Day 2024
Generational Breakdown
Within the Hawaii House of Representatives, most representatives come from Millennial, and Generation X. Importantly, only a few members of the current Hawaii House of Representatives belong to Generation Z . Scroll below to see the generations in the Hawaii House of Representatives visualized.
Partisanship in the Hawaii House of Representatives
The chart below further breaks down the current partisan makeup of the 2025 Hawaii House of Representatives. Each dot represents a single member, colored by both party affiliation and whether the legislator qualifies as a Young Elected Leader (YEL)—defined as age 35 or younger at the time of the election. This format provides a visual snapshot of generational and partisan distribution within the chamber, highlighting how younger legislators are positioned across party lines.
Partisan dynamics in the Hawaii House of Representatives reflect not only ideological differences but also generational contrasts. The visual below highlights one key distinction: the average age of legislators by party. While both parties include a mix of experience levels, Republican members are, on average, younger than their Democratic counterparts. This difference may reflect broader trends in political recruitment, generational turnover, and candidate emergence in recent election cycles.
Young Elected Representatives – Hawaii House of Representatives
Following the 2024 State Legislative Elections in Hawaii, nine members aged 35 or under were elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives. Below are all eleven of these members along with information about their local districts and party affiliation.
| Name | District | Birth year (Age on Election Day) | Year first elected to Hawaii House | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Diamond Garcia (R) | 42nd District –
Kapolei, HI |
1997 (Age 27) | 2022 |
 |
Jackson Sayama (D) | 21st District –
Honolulu, HI |
1997 (Age 27) | 2020 |
 |
Darius Kila (D) | 44th District –
Waianae, HI |
1996 (Age 28) | 2022 |
 |
Elijah Pierick (R) | 39th District –
Ewa Beach, HI |
1994 (Age 30) | 2022 |
 |
Jeanne Kapela (D) | 5th District –
Captain Cook, HI |
1994 (Age 30) | 2020 |
 |
Adrian Tam (D) | 24th District –
Honolulu, HI |
1992 (Age 33) | 2020 |
 |
Shirley Ann Templo (D) | 30th District –
Kalihi, HI |
1992 (Age 32) | 2024 |
 |
Rachele Lamosao (D) | 36th District –
Waipahu, HI |
1991 (Age 33) | 2022 |
 |
Tina Nakada Grandinetti (D) | 20th District –
Kapahulu, HI |
1989 (Age 35) | 2024 |
Photos courtesy of Hawaii State Legislature member roster
Gender in the Hawaii House of Representatives
The Hawaii House of Representatives reflects a range of age and gender dynamics that help shape the composition of the state’s legislative body. Across all members, 54.90% are men, while women make up the remaining 45.10%. Age differences between these groups are notable: female representatives had an average age of 46.08 at the time of the election, compared to 46 for their male colleagues. Of the the nine Young Elected Leaders, 5 male and 4 are female.
When examining both gender and party affiliation, additional differences in age emerge within the Hawaii House of Representatives. Republican women have the lowest average age of the four groups at 41.06, while Republican men have a higher average age of 45.30. For Democrats in the Hawaii House of Representatives, both gender groups are on average older, with Democratic women averaging the highest of all four groups at 46.83 and Republican men averaging 46.16. Overall across both parties the average for all groups across party and gender lies above 40 years old. These patterns show that age representation in the Hawaii House of Representatives varies by both gender and partisan alignment, highlighting differing pathways to political office across demographic groups.
Race and Ethnicity in the Hawaii House of Representatives
The racial and ethnic composition of the Hawaii House of Representatives varies significantly across generations. In the 2024 Hawaii House younger generations are overall more diverse. Each generation group within the Hawaii House of Representatives are currently minority majority. This table highlights how race and ethnicity intersect with age in shaping the diversity of the legislative body.
Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the Hawaii House of Representatives
|
Generation Z 1997 – |
Millennial Generation
1981 – 1996 |
Generation X
1965 –1980 |
Boomer Generation
1946 – 1964 |
Silent Generation
1928 – 1945 |
Full Chamber | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | – | 14
(60.87%) |
3
(17.65%) |
5
(62.5%) |
4
(66.67%) |
22
(44%) |
| Asian/Pacific American | 1
(50%) |
5
(21.74%) |
3
(17.65%) |
2
(25%) |
2
(33.33%) |
11
(22%) |
| White/Caucasian | – | 3
(13.04%) |
5
(29.41%) |
1
(12.5%) |
– | 9
(18%) |
| Two or More Ethnicities | 1
(50%) |
– | 4
(23.53%) |
– | – | 5
(10%) |
| Black/African American | – | – | 1
(5.88%) |
– | – | 1
(2%) |
| Missing Racial Catgorization | – | 1
(4.35%) |
1
(5.88%) |
– | – | 2
(4%) |
| Total (Precent of Hawaii House) | 2
(4%) |
23
(46%) |
17
(34%) |
8
(16%) |
6
(3.35%) |
50*
(100%) |
*Missing age for one House member. The full Hawaii House of Representatives is comprised of 51 seats.
The Hawaii Senate
Below is information covering age dynamics in the recently elected Hawaii State Senate.
- the average age of Hawaii State Senate members is 58.29 years
- the youngest Senator Troy Hashimoto who was born in 1987
- the oldest Senator Lorraine Inouye who was born in 1940
- 0 Senators are Young Elected Leaders, aged 35 or younger as of Election Day 2024
Young Elected Senators in the Hawaii State Senate
At present no members of the Hawaii State Senate were aged 35 or below as of Election Day in 2024. All Young Elected Leaders within the Hawaii State Legislature hold office in the Hawaii House of Representatives.
In the Hawaii State Senate, 22 senators belong to the Democratic Party, 3 senators are Republicans. The mean age of Democratic state senators after the 2024 election was 59.82, while the mean age of Republican state senators was 47.05. Each generation had a different partisan makeup. Below is the breakdown of party composition for each generation within the Hawaii State Senate.
Gender in the Hawaii Senate
The generational makeup of the Hawaii Senate also reflects important gender dynamics. Across generations, gender balance is more male skewed across generations. Overall more men are represented than women in every generational cohort. These patterns suggest that gender balance varies across generational lines, with women represented in each age cohort of the Hawaii Senate.
Race and Ethnicity in the Hawaii Senate
The racial and ethnic composition of the Hawaii Senate reveals generational variation in representation. The plurality of Hawaii’s State Senators identify as Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. Majority Hawaiian/Pacific Islander identification is also true across most generations. Below is the breakdown of race and ethnicity within the Hawaii Senate.
Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the Hawaii State Senate
| Millennial Generation | Generation X | Boomer Generation | Silent Generation | Full Chamber | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 5 (71.43%) | 3 (50%) | 1 (10%) | – | 9 (36%) |
| Asian/Pacific American | 2 (28.57%) | 1 (16.67%) | 4 (40%) | 1 (50%) | 8 (32%) |
| Hispanic/Latino | – | 1 (16.67%) | 1 (10%) | – | 3 (12%) |
| White/Caucasian | – | 1 (16.67%) | 2 (20%) | – | 3 (12%) |
| Two or More Ethnicities | – | – | 2 (20%) | 1 (50%) | 2 (8%) |
| Total | 7 (28%) | 22 (40%) | 10 (40%) | 3 (5.45%) | 25 (100%) |
The full Hawaii State Senate is comprised of 25 seats.
Notes
The Young Elected Leaders Project applies the generational categorization of the Pew Research Center:
- Silent Generation: 1928 – 1945
- Baby Boomer Generation: 1946 – 1964
- Generation X: 1965 – 1980
- Millennial Generation: 1981 – 1996
- Generation Z: 1997 – 2012
This analysis is based on data from the most recent state legislative election in Hawaii which took place on November 5th 2024.
Citation Guideline
In referencing the Young Elected Leaders Project in publication please use the following language: “The Young Elected Leaders Project is housed at the Center for Youth Political Participation at The Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University – New Brunswick.”
Bibliographic Citation For this document
Author: Young Elected Leaders Project
Corresponding Authors: George D. Quinn
Year: 2024
Title: Age in the 2025 Hawaii State Legislature