Lynn G. Berbano Finnegan (born October 3, 1970) is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the

Hawaii House of Representatives The Hawaii House of Representatives () is the lower house of the Hawaii State Legislature. Pursuant to Article III, Section 3 of the Constitution of Hawaii, amended during the 1978 Hawaii State Constitutional Convention, 1978 constit ...

representing the state's 32nd district from 2003 to 2011. The district includes the Lower Pearlridge, Aiea,

Halawa Hālawa () is a census-designated place (CDP) in the ‘Ewa District of Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States. Hālawa Stream branches into two valleys: North and South Hālawa; North Hālawa is the larger stream and fluvial feature. Their c ...

, Hickam,

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

and Moanalua Gardens on the island of

Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...

. In 2005, Finnegan was selected to be the Minority Leader for the Republican members of the State House. She was re-selected as such in 2007 and 2009. In 2008, the

Aspen Institute The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1949 as the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C., but also has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, its original home. Its stated miss ...

's Rodel Fellowships in Public Leadership selected Representative Lynn Finnegan as one of 24 elected public officials as its 2008 class of Fellows. Each member of the class was selected on their reputation for intellect, thoughtfulness, and bipartisan approach to governing. The class is evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats and represents Fellows from 22 states, serving at both local and state levels of government. In 2009, Finnegan voted against HB 444, a Hawaii

civil union A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, primarily created to provide legal recognition for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage, with ch ...

bill. She said, "If we push to have government certify or make legal a union or marriage between the same sex, I believe that we push what is accepted to what will be promoted." In 2009, Finnegan was selected as one of the 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the U.S. An award by the Filipina Women's Network. Representative Finnegan was awarded in the Policymakers & Visionaries category which recognize Filipina women leaders who have made or are making a difference in government policies or laws that impact business, industry, and society and who enrich the lives and careers of others by sharing the benefits of their wealth, experience, and knowledge. Finnegan declined to run for re-election in 2010, instead running for

Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii The lieutenant governor of Hawaii () is the assistant chief executive of the U.S. state of Hawaii and its various agencies and departments, as provided in the Article V, Sections 2 though 6 of the Constitution of Hawaii. Elected by popular suff ...

in the 2010 election. She won the Republican primary and joined gubernatorial candidate

Duke Aiona James R. "Duke" Aiona Jr. (born June 8, 1955) is an American politician and jurist who served as the eleventh lieutenant governor of Hawaii under Linda Lingle from 2002 to 2010. A member of the Republican Party, he also served both as an attorn ...

in the general election as his running mate. The Republican ticket was defeated by Democratic nominees

Neil Abercrombie Neil Abercrombie (born June 26, 1938) is an American politician who served as the seventh governor of Hawaii from 2010 to 2014. He is a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. Born in Buffalo, New York, Abercrombie is a ...

and

Brian Schatz Brian Emanuel Schatz ( ; born October 20, 1972) is an American educator and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Hawaii, a seat he has held since 2012. A member ...

Recent career

Finnegan currently serves as Assistant Head of Schools at Hanalani Schools, her alma mater. She had previously worked at Waialae Elementary School, Voyager Charter School, and Hawaii Public Charter Schools.

External links

Hawaii State Legislature - Representative Lynn FinneganProject Vote Smart - Representative Lynn Berbano Finnegan

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finnegan, Lynn 1970 births 21st-century American women politicians American women of Filipino descent in politics Asian-American people in Hawaii politics Asian conservatism in the United States Hawaii politicians of Filipino descent Living people Politicians from Honolulu Republican Party members of the Hawaii House of Representatives University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumni Women state legislators in Hawaii 21st-century members of the Hawaii State Legislature