Brian Schatz

Brian Emanuel Schatz (born October 20, 1972) is an American politician serving as the senior United States Senator from Hawaii, a position he has held since December 2012. A Democrat, Schatz was appointed to the Senate by Governor Neil Abercrombie following the death of longtime Senator Daniel Inouye, and he won subsequent elections in 2014 and 2022. Prior to his Senate tenure, he served as Hawaii's Lieutenant Governor from 2010 to 2012 and earlier as a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from 1999 to 2006. Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Schatz grew up in Honolulu, attended Punahou School, and earned a bachelor's degree from Pomona College in 1994.

Schatz's legislative priorities include advancing clean energy initiatives, addressing climate change impacts relevant to Hawaii's vulnerability, and supporting Native Hawaiian self-determination through measures like housing and land rights protections. He has authored or co-authored more than 20 bills enacted into law, including provisions expanding renewable energy deployment and federal aid for disaster recovery, such as post-Maui wildfire assistance. As a member of Senate committees on Energy and Natural Resources, Indian Affairs, and Commerce, Schatz has advocated for policies reducing fossil fuel dependence, though these efforts have drawn criticism for potentially increasing energy costs without commensurate global emission reductions. In foreign policy, he has opposed expansive Chinese claims in the South China Sea, emphasizing maritime security for Pacific allies.

Brian Schatz was born on October 20, 1972, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to Irwin Jacob Schatz, a cardiologist originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and Barbara Jane Schatz (née Binder), into a Jewish-American family. The family relocated to Hawaii when Schatz was two years old, after his father accepted a position at the University of Hawaii's medical school, settling on Oahu where Schatz spent his childhood.

Early influences during his formative years included his father, Irwin Schatz, a University of Hawaii medical professor and early whistleblower on ethical lapses in medical research, who in 1965 wrote to U.S. authorities questioning the withholding of treatment from syphilis patients in the Tuskegee study—decades before it became public scandal. This paternal emphasis on moral accountability in institutions reportedly shaped Schatz's commitment to public service ethics, evident in his post-college founding of a nonprofit youth leadership organization in Hawaii. His Jewish-American family background, including an identical twin brother, further instilled values of community responsibility amid relocation from Michigan to Hawaii at age two.

Schatz identifies as Jewish and maintains membership in Temple Emanu-El, a Reform Jewish congregation in Honolulu. His religious background stems from a Jewish-American family heritage.