RIP HI US Senator Daniel Inouye.

[NPolitics1979]

VT US Senator Pat Leahy is now the President Pro Tempore.
Dan Akaka will be HI Senior US Senator until next month.
If HI US Senate vacancy process is like other states- whoever Governor Ambercrombie appoints will be Senior US Senator until 2014 unless he appoints a caretaker or the US Senate appointee loses in the 2014 Special Election-which means Mazie Hirino becomes the states Senior US Senator.

[whistler162]

1. "Go For Broke" Senator!

[BlueDemKev]

2. Thank Goodness the Democrats won back the Hawaii Governorship in 2010.

I remember worrying about this possibility with Inouye running for re-election at age 86.

R.I.P. Senator Inouye.

[NPolitics1979]

3. Special Election in 2014

Republican Nominee-Lingle-R
Democratic Nominee-
Ex Governor Wahiee-D (1987-1995)
Ex US Rep. Ed Case-D (2002-2007)
US Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (2011-present)
Lt Governor Brian Schatz (2011-present)
Ex Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann (2005-2010)
EX Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris (1994-2004)
US Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki.

[davidpdx]

4. Indeed, sorry to hear about his passing

The Senator was getting up there in age. This was unexpected though. We will probably now have two special elections next year both to defend D Senate seats right after picking up a few. I just hope no one else decides to quit or leave us because the filibuster change may now be toast.

[NPolitics1979]

5. Lautenberg(D-NJ)

Lautenberg(D-NJ) who is up for re-election in 2014 is the only WW2 Generation US Senator left.
The HI US Senators are gone. (Akaka-D is leaving next month).
If Lautenberg(D-NJ) decides to retire next year.
The oldest US Senator will be Feinstein(D-CA) or Grassley(R-IA)

[TroyD]

6. Glad he can be succeeded by a Democrat

It's a good thing that this happened now, rather than when Republican Governor Linda Lingle was in office, otherwise we would have gotten a Republican replacement.

And yes, there comes a time when some of these Senators need to retire, even if they are good ones. Senators who are pushing 90 are in danger of dying in office. This is something that Senator Lautenberg of New Jersey needs to keep in mind as well. He hasn't decided whether he will run for re-election in 2014 yet. I like Lautenberg and he has done a lot of progressive things, but if he were to die in office, Chris Christie could appoint a Republican.

[We People]

7. Definitely the end of an era in the Senate. He's been there as long as I can remember, which

was when he first started.

It was quite a plus for viewers when Ken Burns included a narrative profile of him in his WWII documentary for PBS, "The War."

Aloha and Rest In Peace, Senator Inouye.

[NPolitics1979]

8. HI US Senators since statehood(1959)

Class 1 Seat
Fong(R-HI)1959-1977
Matsunaga(D-HI)1977-1990
Akaka(D-HI)1990-2013
Hirino(D-HI)2013-present.
Class 3 Seat
Long(D-HI)1959-1963
Inouye(D-HI)1963-2012
Hanabusa(D-HI)2013-

[NPolitics1979]

9. Inouye(D-HI) Successor options.

Governor Abercrombie (D-HI)- who is 74 years old and has more than a 20 year career serving in the US House- could appoint himself to the Inouye Seat. run for re-election in the 2014 Special Election and the 2016 Regular Election when Inouye's 10th US Senate Term were to expire, then resign from the US Senate in 2018- allowing a Special Election in which Hanabusa ends up suceeding him.

[Overseas]

10. K&R.