1959 United States Senate elections in Hawaii explained

The 1959 United States Senate elections in Hawaii were held July 28, 1959. Following the admission of Hawaii as the 50th State in the union, the state held 2 simultaneous elections to determine its first senators.

The elections were split between the Republican and Democratic parties. The new senators took office on August 21. Oren E. Long was given seniority based on his service as Governor of Hawaii. Hiram Fong became the first Asian-American U.S. senator and the first Senator to be born outside of the contiguous United States.

Class 1

Election Name:1959 class 1 Senate election
Country:Hawaii
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Next Election:1964 United States Senate election in Hawaii
Next Year:1964
Image1:Hiram Fong.jpg
Nominee1:Hiram Fong
Party1:Republican Party (US)
Popular Vote1:87,161
Percentage1:52.89%
Nominee2:Frank Fasi
Party2:Democratic Party (US)
Popular Vote2:77,647
Percentage2:47.11%
Map Size:300px
U.S. senator
After Election:Hiram Fong
After Party:Republican Party (US)

This election was for the class 1 term expiring in 1965. It was won by Republican Hiram Fong.

General election

Candidates

Results

Class 3

Election Name:1959 class 3 Senate election
Country:Hawaii
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Next Election:1962 United States Senate election in Hawaii
Next Year:1962
Image1:Oren E. Long (PP-75-4-020).jpg
Nominee1:Oren Long
Party1:Democratic Party (US)
Popular Vote1:83,700
Percentage1:51.08%
Nominee2:Wilfred Tsukiyama
Party2:Republican Party (US)
Popular Vote2:79,123
Percentage2:48.28%
Map Size:300px
U.S. senator
After Election:Oren Long
After Party:Democratic Party (US)

This election was for the Class 3 term expiring in 1963. It was won by Democrat Oren Long, who started an as-of-yet uninterrupted streak of Democratic victories in the Class 3 Senate seat in Hawaii. As of 2022, Tsukiyama's loss by a 2.8 point margin is the closest Republicans have come to winning this seat.

General election

Candidates

Results

Following Long's victory, Governor William F. Quinn appointed Tsukiyama to the Hawaii Supreme Court.

See also