Scott Yoshimi Nishimoto is an American politician serving as the member of the

Honolulu City Council Honolulu City Council is the legislature of the City and County of Honolulu, the capital and largest city in Hawai'i, the fiftieth state in the United States. The City and County of Honolulu is a municipal corporation that manages government a ...

representing District V since January 2, 2025. He is a former Democratic 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 ...

from 2002 to 2024.

Education

Nishimoto earned his

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

from the

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa The University of Hawaii at Mānoa is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Hawaiʻi system and houses the main offic ...

in 1997 and his

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from its

William S. Richardson School of Law The William S. Richardson School of Law is the professional graduate law school of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Located in Honolulu, Hawaii, the school is named after its patriarch, former Hawaii State Supreme Court Chief Justice Will ...

in 2002. As an undergraduate student, Nishimoto was accepted to a fellowship with the DC-based nonprofit Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Institute, later called the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies. During the one-year fellowship with U.S. Senator

Daniel Inouye Daniel Ken Inouye ( , , September 7, 1924 – December 17, 2012) was an American attorney, soldier, and statesman who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Hawaii from 1963 until his death in 2012. A Medal of Honor recipi ...

, he covered congressional hearings and compiled and distributed reports, sparking his interest in politics.

Political career

Hawaii House of Representatives (2002-2024)

During his time as a state representative, Nishimoto had served as chairman of the House Legislative Management Committee and the House Judiciary Committee. As Judiciary Chair, Nishimoto helped push for the passage of House Bill 2071 which established the Law Enforcement Standards Board to regulate and investigate police officers. From 2023 to 2024, he also handled capital improvement projects appropriations for the House. At the end of the 2024 legislative session, Nishimoto announced he would leave the House of Representatives to run for a seat on the

Elections

*2012 Nishimoto won the August 11, 2012 Democratic Primary with 3,031 votes (81.4%), and was unopposed for the November 6, 2012 General election. *2002 When Republican Representative Galen Fox was redistricted to District 23, Nishimoto was unopposed for the open District 21 seat in the September 21, 2002 Democratic Primary, winning with 2,595 votes, and won the November 5, 2002 General election with 4,140 votes (52.2%) against Republican nominee Mindy Jaffe, who had sought a seat in 2000. *2004 Nishimoto was unopposed for the September 18, 2004 Democratic Primary, winning with 2,920 votes, Nishimoto won the November 2, 2004 General election with 6,689 votes (74.1%) against Republican nominee Gratia Bone. *2006 Nishimoto was unopposed for the September 26, 2006 Democratic Primary, winning with 3,775 votes, and won the November 7, 2006 General election with 5,249 votes (77.0%) against Republican nominee Mike Hu. *2008 Nishimoto was unopposed for both the September 20, 2008 Democratic Primary, winning with 2,796 votes, and the November 4, 2008 General election. *2010 Nishimoto was unopposed for the September 18, 2010 Democratic Primary, winning with 3,719 votes, and won the November 2, 2010 General election with 5,451 votes (72.5%) against Republican nominee Jay Lembeck.

References

External links

Official page
at the

Hawaii State Legislature The Hawaii State Legislature ( Hawaiian: Ka ‘Aha‘ōlelo kau kānāwai o ka Moku‘āina o Hawai‘i) is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of Hawaii, consisting of the Hawaii State Senate (upper house with 25 senators) and t ...

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Democratic Party members of the Hawaii House of Representatives 21st-century members of the Hawaii State Legislature 21st-century American politicians of Asian descent University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumni Hawaii politicians of Japanese descent William S. Richardson School of Law alumni Asian American and Pacific Islander state legislators in Hawaii {{Hawaii-politician-stub