Jill N. Tokuda

[constituency_baseline] District summary: Hawaiʻi's 2nd Congressional District encompasses all of the state outside of urban Honolulu, including suburban and rural parts of Oʻahu and the islands of Hawaiʻi, Kauaʻi, Maui, Lānaʻi, Molokaʻi, Niʻihau, Kahoʻolawe, and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Home to approximately 725,590 constituents, the district has a median household income of $95,891 — well above the national median but offset by Hawaii's extremely high cost of living. The district is a majority-minority district (27% White, 24.3% Asian, 11.6% Hispanic, and a large Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander population), with a median age of 40.8 and a homeownership rate of 67.6%. The poverty rate is 7.6% (below the national average), and only 32.3% of adults hold a bachelor's degree. 17.7% of residents rely on Medicaid. The economy is anchored in tourism and hospitality, agriculture and ranching, military/defense, healthcare, and retail trade. The seat is D+38 — among the safest Democratic districts in the country — and Tokuda won the 2024 election with 66.5% of the vote.

Voted nay on H.R. 29 (Laken Riley Act) on 2025-01-07: Tokuda voted against mandatory ICE detention for undocumented immigrants accused of certain crimes — joining 170 Democrats in opposition while 48 Democrats defected. The vote aligns with her immigration stance: she has criticized Trump's 'immigration crackdown efforts for hitting close to home' and her district includes many immigrant communities including large Filipino and Ilocano-speaking populations.

Voted nay_unverified on H.R. 4763 (Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act (FIT21)) on 2024-05-22: Tokuda voted against the bipartisan crypto market structure bill that passed 279-136 with 71 Democrats in support. Her opposition placed her with the progressive wing against a bill supported by the crypto industry. The vote illustrates the cross-pressure between tech-forward policy and progressive skepticism of financial deregulation.

Voted nay on H.R. 2670 (National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024) on 2023-07-14: As an Armed Services Committee member, Tokuda voted against the NDAA after Democratic-priority provisions were stripped and 'culture war' amendments were added — defecting from the committee's bipartisan work. She has voted nay on NDAA for three consecutive years (FY2024, FY2025, FY2026) citing poison-pill riders on reproductive rights, diversity, and LGBTQ+ protections.

Voted nay on H.R. 8034 (Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024) on 2024-04-20: Tokuda voted against $26.38 billion in Israel military aid — a rare party defection (173 Democrats voted yea). She stated the vote was 'about sending a strong message that unconditional aid given the impact of loss of life that we are seeing in Gaza… could not continue.' Her vote aligned with progressive activists in her D+38 district.