Neil Abercrombie

At the end of his council tenure in 1990, Abercrombie once again ran for Congress and won. He was reelected ten times. In the 2008 election he won with 70.6% of the vote.

Abercrombie was a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and compiled a generally liberal voting record. He supported and voted for the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act.[8] On October 10, 2002, he was among the 133 members of the House who voted against authorizing the 2003 invasion of Iraq.[9] He cosponsored H.R. 1312 (Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Protection Act of 2005) on July 28, 2005.[10] He took issue with the Vatican over not listing torture as a sin.[11]

According to Project Vote Smart, Abercrombie holds the following issue positions: he is pro-choice, has voted against a ban on partial birth abortion, and has voted with the interests of NARAL and Planned Parenthood 100% of the time between 2000 and 2006. He has voted for bills designed to make it easier for Americans to vote, such as the motor voter bill. He has advocated strongly for civil liberties; his voting record is supported by both the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and American Library Association. He was one of the 67 representatives to vote against the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 1996 and has also voted against a constitutional amendment proposed in 2006 to limit marriage to being between one man and one woman.[12] He was one of only nine representatives not to cast a vote for or against the USA PATRIOT Act in 2001.[13] In 2005 he voted against the extension of the act, calling it "a blank check to trample civil liberties."[14] In 2007 he signed on as a co-sponsor of H.R. 676, which would have established a national health insurance program.[15] He resigned from Congress on February 28, 2010, to concentrate on his campaign for governor.[16]

Abercrombie served as chairman of the Armed Forces Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces and a senior member of the Natural Resources Committee. He co-authored landmark legislation creating public-private partnerships between the military and private developers to build, maintain and manage housing for military families.

Abercrombie celebrating his 2010 victory

Neil Abercrombie and his running mate Brian Schatz with their spouses on the day of the election

On March 9, 2009, Abercrombie announced his candidacy for governor of Hawaii.[17] On December 11, 2009, he announced that he would resign from Congress to concentrate on his gubernatorial bid. He was succeeded in Congress by Republican Charles Djou, the first Republican elected to Congress from Hawaii since Pat Saiki.

During his campaign, Abercrombie released his "A New Day in Hawaii Plan", offering a roadmap based on Hawai'i's values and priorities. The plan was the result of conversations with thousands of people and many hours of research. Abercrombie met with business people, entrepreneurs, economists, principals, teachers, parents, academics, public employees, farmers, nonprofit leaders, health professionals, students, seniors, conservationists, cultural practitioners, construction workers, and citizens of all backgrounds. He also held dozens of issue forums and meetings on every island to hear from residents about their concerns and hopes for Hawai'i.[18]

Abercrombie defeated his challenger, former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, in the 2010 Democratic gubernatorial primary election on September 18, 2010, 59.3% to 37.7%.[19][20][21]

On November 2, 2010, Abercrombie defeated Republican nominee Duke Aiona, 57.8% to 40.8%, to become Hawaii's 7th governor.[22][23] In his November 3 victory speech he credited many people for his success, including the founder of the Department of Religion at the University of Hawaii Manoa, Dr. Mitsuo Aoki.

Neil Abercrombie sworn in as Governor of Hawaii

Abercrombie was sworn in as governor of Hawaii on December 6, 2010, the first gubernatorial victor of the 2010 election cycle to be sworn into office.

Abercrombie was 72 when he was sworn in as governor, and was the oldest current United States governor for a little less than a month. On January 3, 2011, he lost that title to Jerry Brown of California, who is two months older than Abercrombie.

When Abercrombie took office, he vowed to end the investigations into President Obama's birth certificate. A spokesperson for Abercrombie said he would ask the office of the Attorney General what it could do.[24] State Attorney General David M. Louie informed Abercrombie that state privacy laws prevent the release of "an individual's birth documentation without the person's consent" to persons who do not have "a tangible interest" in the document.[25]

According to polls, in October 2011 Abercrombie was the least popular governor in the country, with a 30% approval rating.[26]

In February 2011 Abercrombie signed into law a bill legalizing civil unions. His predecessor, Linda Lingle, had vetoed the legislation.[27] In 2013 he called the Hawaii Legislature into a special session to consider a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, which he signed into law on November 13.

Upon the death of longtime Senator Daniel Inouye, Abercrombie had to appoint his replacement. The State Democratic Party gave him a list of three finalists and he chose Lieutenant Governor Brian Schatz, despite Inouye's stated wish that he select Colleen Hanabusa. Schatz is now Hawaii's senior U.S. Senator.

Obama appointed Abercrombie to the Council of Governors, and he served from 2012 to 2014. The council consists of 10 governors the president appoints to focus on national security, homeland defense, synchronization and integration of state and federal military activities in the United States and matters of mutual interest pertaining to the National Guard.[28]

In November 2013 Abercrombie was named to Obama's Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience, a group of governors, mayors and other leaders who were to develop recommendations on how the federal government could better support local preparedness and resilience-building efforts.[29] Hawaii also signed on to the Majuro Declaration as a U.S. Climate Leader in September of that year, making the state the first sub-national government to sign.[30]

After an intense special session, Abercrombie signed into law a bill that legalized marriage for same-sex couples in Hawai'i. The new law took effect on December 2, 2013. Hawaii was the 15th state to legalize same-sex marriage.[31][32][33][34]

In the August 9, 2014, Democratic gubernatorial primary, Abercrombie was defeated by state senator David Ige, taking just 31% of the vote to Ige's 67%, making him the first incumbent governor to lose a primary in Hawaii's history. The margin of defeat was the largest for any incumbent governor in United States history[35][36][37] (though not the smallest share of the vote).