Brian Schatz
DemocratU.S. Senator, HI| Age | 53 (b. 1972-10-20) |
| Gender | Male |
| In office since | 2012-12-27 (~13 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | White (Ashkenazi Jewish-American) |
| Religion | Jewish (Reform; raised at Temple Emanu-El, had bar mitzvah) |
| Education | Punahou School (Honolulu); B.A. in Philosophy from Pomona College, 1994; studied abroad in Kenya via the School for International Training |
| Prior occupation | Educator (teacher at Punahou School); nonprofit executive (CEO of Helping Hands Hawaii); director of the Makiki Community Library and the Center for a Sustainable Future |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| Marital status | Married — Linda Kwok Kai Yun (Linda Kwok Schatz) |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Notable relatives | Identical twin brother Steve Schatz, former Hawaii Department of Education official; father Irwin Jacob Schatz, M.D., a cardiologist known for early criticism of the Tuskegee syphilis study |
Pending research: languages · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 1998 (Hawaii House of Representatives); first won a U.S. Senate election in the 2014 special election after being appointed in December 2012 |
| Previous offices | Member, Hawaii House of Representatives (1998-2006) · Chair, Democratic Party of Hawaii (2008-2010) · Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii (2010-2012) |
| Committees | Committee on Appropriations · Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation · Committee on Foreign Relations · Committee on Indian Affairs (Vice Chair) · Select Committee on Ethics |
| Caucuses | Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus · Senate Democratic Special Committee on the Climate Crisis (Chair) · Expand Social Security Caucus |
| Leadership | Chief Deputy Whip, Senate Democratic Caucus · Deputy Conference Secretary, Senate Democratic Caucus (since January 2023) · Presumptive next Senate Democratic Whip (secured majority caucus support in 2025 to succeed Dick Durbin; role to begin in 2027) |
| Party history | Former member of the Green Party of the United States before joining the Democratic Party |
| Ideology | Generally described as a progressive Democrat; GovTrack/analyses place him in the more moderate-to-mainstream range of the Democratic caucus. Strong climate and LGBTQ records (100% Human Rights Campaign rating). |
| Signature legislation | Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (co-author of climate provisions) · YIMBY Act (co-authored with Sen. Todd Young; enacted December 2022) · Native American Veterans' Memorial Amendments Act (2013) · NIST Small Business Cybersecurity Act · Legislation raising the federal minimum age to purchase tobacco to 21 |
Financial
Net worth: disclosed $345,026–$6,450,998 (2023) · estimate
| Residential property in Honolulu, Hawaii | real_estate · $1,000,000–$5,000,000 · 2023 |
| Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF | fund · $100,001–$250,000 · 2023 |
| 2024/2025 Enrollment Portfolio Passive (529/enrollment-date mutual fund) | fund · $100,001–$250,000 · 2023 |
Top industries: Indian Gaming · Casinos/Gambling
Scandals & crimes ledger
No recorded incidents. Under the adjudicated-only methodology, an entry appears only when a court or official body has formally acted and the record is cited.