Colleen Hanabusa, an American politician and lawyer, died on March 6, 2026, in Honolulu, Hawaii, at age 74.
A Democrat, she served as the U.S. representative for Hawaii’s 1st congressional district from 2011 to 2015 and again from 2016 to 2019.
Before her election to Congress, Hanabusa served in the Hawaii Senate, where she was Senate Majority Leader and later became the state’s first female president of the Senate in 2007. In 2018, she sought the Democratic nomination for governor of Hawaii and lost to incumbent David Ige.
Colleen Wakako Hanabusa (May 4, 1951 – March 6, 2026) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Hawaii’s 1st congressional district from 2011 to 2015 and again from 2016 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she ran for her party’s nomination for governor of Hawaii in 2018, challenging and losing to incumbent and fellow Democrat David Ige.