Hawaii's Climate Champion
Brian Schatz has emerged as one of the US Senate's most prominent voices on climate polling — a fitting role for a senator from a state of Pacific islands whose ecosystems are among the most directly threatened by rising sea levels, ocean acidification, and warming temperatures. Hawaii's coral reefs are bleaching at alarming rates, its coastlines are eroding, and its freshwater resources face increased stress from changing precipitation patterns. For Schatz, climate polling is not an abstraction but a matter of existential concern for the state he represents.
Schatz came to the Senate through an appointment that created controversy in Hawaii Democratic circles. When the legendary Daniel Inouye — who had served in the Senate since 1963 and was the chamber's President pro tempore — died in December 2012, he reportedly left a letter requesting that his seat go to fellow Hawaii Democrat Colleen Hanabusa. Governor Neil Abercrombie chose Schatz, then serving as Lieutenant Governor, instead. The decision created a rift in Hawaii Democratic politics that persisted through Schatz's first primary in 2014, when Hanabusa narrowly challenged him and lost by roughly 1,700 votes. Schatz has since consolidated his position and won subsequent elections comfortably.
In addition to climate, Schatz has been a prominent voice on progressive economic and social priorities, a sharp critic of the Trump administration and Trump-era Republican policies, and a willing challenger of Senate procedural norms he views as obstructionist. He has called for filibuster reform and used social media more aggressively than most senators to communicate directly with progressive activists. As DSCC chair during the 2022 cycle, he helped Democrats outperform expectations at the Senate level in a challenging midterm environment.
- Brian Schatz (D-HI) is a two-term Hawaii senator appointed in 2012 after the death of Daniel Inouye, then elected in 2014 and 2022, winning his most recent race by 28 points.
- Hawaii is D+20 — the most reliably Democratic state at the presidential level and home to two Democratic senators, providing Schatz with one of the safest seats in the Senate.
- He chairs the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband, focusing on tech policy, AI regulation, broadband access, and consumer privacy protection.
- Schatz is a leading progressive voice on climate, Indigenous rights, and Pacific Island affairs — issues central to a state where climate change threatens low-lying islands and coral reef ecosystems.
Key Policy Areas
Carbon Pricing Advocate
Schatz has championed carbon pricing as a market-based mechanism for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, sponsoring the American Opportunity Carbon Fee Act to put a price on carbon. He has also pushed for ocean conservation, coral reef restoration funding, and climate resilience investments directly relevant to Hawaii's vulnerable island environment. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which he helped pass, represented the largest climate investment in US history.
Digital Rights & AI Policy
Schatz has been one of the more active senators on technology policy, particularly digital privacy, social media regulation, and more recently artificial intelligence governance. He has pushed for federal privacy legislation, oversight of social media algorithms, and congressional action to address the risks of AI systems. His relative youth compared to many Senate colleagues has given him more credibility on technology issues that many senators struggle to understand.
Indigenous Communities
Schatz has championed the rights and interests of Native Hawaiian communities, pushing for federal recognition legislation (the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act), support for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and Native Hawaiian language and cultural preservation. He has also been active on broader Native American and indigenous issues, including tribal sovereignty, Indian Health Service funding, and tribal broadband access.
Electoral History
| Year | Race | Result | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Hawaii Senate (re-election) | Schatz 71.0% — Bob McDermott (R) 25.8% | D +45.2 |
| 2016 | Hawaii Senate (re-election) | Schatz 73.6% — John Carroll (R) 22.4% | D +51.2 |
| 2014 | Hawaii Senate (first full election) | Schatz 69.5% — Cam Cavasso (R) 27.1% | D +42.4 |
| 2012 | Appointed | Appointed by Gov. Abercrombie | N/A |
Climate Change & Pacific Policy
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) represents a state on the front lines of climate change: rising sea levels, intensifying hurricanes, coral reef bleaching, and freshwater stress all threaten Hawaii directly. Schatz has made climate policy his signature Senate issue, co-founding the American Opportunity Alliance and working on legislation to price carbon, expand renewable energy, and protect coastal communities. The science of climate change — its causes, effects, and timeline — directly informs the legislative urgency that Schatz brings to every climate vote. Beyond climate, his Senate Appropriations Committee seat gives him significant influence over federal spending priorities, including investments in clean energy, infrastructure, and economic development in Pacific Island communities that are among the most climate-vulnerable in the U.S. jurisdiction. Hawaii's military installations also make Pacific security a key issue, and Schatz has worked to ensure military facilities account for climate vulnerability in their planning.
