Charles Kong Djou ( Chinese : ?????????, Pinyin: Zh??u Y??ngk??ng; born August 9, 1970) is the former U.S. Representative for Hawaii's 1st congressional district. As a member of the Republican Party , Djou won his congressional seat in a special election in May 2010, but was defeated in the general election in November.

Djou previously served in the Hawaii House of Representatives and the Honolulu City Council.

Born in Los Angeles, California, to a Chinese-American father and a Thai-American mother, Djou grew up in Hawaii. He graduated from Punahou School and earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science and a Bachelor of Science in finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania graduating magna cum laude . He earned his law degree at the University of Southern California Law School.

Djou is a captain in the United States Army Reserve. He teaches as an adjunct professor at the University of Hawaii.

Djou served as the Vice Chairman of the Hawaii Republican Party from 1998 to 1999. He was named legislator of the year by Small Business Hawaii in 2002, 2004, and 2006. In 2006 he was selected as one of the 40 most promising leaders in Hawaii under age 40 by Pacific Business News, and in 2005 was named by Honolulu Weekly as the "Best Politician" in the state.

As a member of the State House of Representatives, Djou served one term in the Hawaii House of Representatives from 2000 to 2002 and was the Minority Floor Leader. Djou launched a successful campaign to open the State Budget worksheets to the public after being told he could look at the budget worksheets in the committee room but was not allowed to take any notes or make copies of them. The documents detail the budget for various state departments and agencies. He opposed the state "van cam" program launched in 2002 to catch speeders using automated cameras instead of police officers, and successfully campaigned for its elimination.

In 2002, Djou was elected to the Honolulu City Council, representing District 4 ( Waikiki to Hawaii Kai). He was re-elected in 2006. On the City Council he was the Chairman of the Executive Matters & Legal Affairs Committee, Vice Chair of the Planning Committee and as a member of the Transportation and Public Safety & Services committees.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Armed Services

• * Subcommittee on Readiness

• * Subcommittee on Terrorism and Unconventional Threats

• Committee on the Budget

Civil unions and gay marriage

Djou opposes Hawaii House Bill 444, a bill to legalize civil unions for same-sex and opposite-sex couples, and supports the federal Defense of Marriage Act. He stated that lawmakers "ignored the will of the people" who enacted Hawaii Constitutional Amendment 2 .

Don't ask, don't tell

Djou voted in favor of an amendment to the 2011 Department of Defense Authorization Bill that would repeal the " Don't ask, don't tell" law.

Immigration

Djou was one of only several Republicans who supported the Dream Act.

South Korean free trade agreement

On May 28, 2010, Djou spoke on the floor of the House in support of Congress passing the South Korean Free Trade Agreement , which was signed by former President George W. Bush on June 30, 2007, currently awaiting approval of the Congress.

1998

Djou ran as a Republican for the Hawaii State House of Representatives District 47 seat. He was unopposed in the primary election, but lost to Iris Ikeda Catalani in the general election by a margin of 190 votes.

2000

In 2000, he again ran for the Hawaii State House of Representatives District 47 seat. Unopposed in the primary, he faced incumbent Democrat Iris Ikeda Catalani in the general election. Catalani faced controversy in the campaign, with allegations that she broke a promise to the Outdoor Circle by posting yard signs. Djou won the race, gaining 52.5 percent of the vote to Catalani's 44.2 percent.

2002

In 2002, Djou announced he would run for the Honolulu City Council. He also announced he would move to East Honolulu (City Council District 3) from Kaneohe (City Council District 4) to avoid running against fellow Republican Stan Koki. Honolulu City and County elections are officially non-partisan, and any candidate who wins a majority of the votes in the primary election can win outright. However, no candidate received a majority of the votes in the primary election, and Djou and opponent Robert Fishman faced each other in a run-off in the general election. Djou won with 51.3 percent of the vote, to Fishman's 39.2 percent.

2006

Djou ran for reelection to the Honolulu City Council. He was unopposed and won the seat by default.

2010 special

In March 2010, Djou announced he would run for U.S. Congress, seeking a seat in Hawaii's 1st congressional district. The seat was vacant because Neil Abercrombie had resigned to run for Governor of Hawaii. Djou was endorsed by former Massachusetts Governor and Presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

The election was held in May, with Djou receiving 39.4 percent of the vote. He defeated five Democrats, four Republicans, and four independent candidates. Djou will serve the remainder of the 2010 term and ran for a full term in November 2010.

Djou was sworn in three days later. He is the first Republican to represent the district in 20 years.

There has been some controversy over the use of robocalling by the Djou campaign, both before the election and afterwards. At issue was the use of public funds for automated calls seeking campaign funding, as well as the allegedly high frequency of calls.

2010 general

Djou was defeated by Democratic nominee State Senator Colleen Hanabusa. Djou was one of only two Republican incumbents ( Joseph Cao was the other) to lose in the 2010 general election on November 2, 2010.

Shortly before leaving office, Djou confirmed he was not interested in reentering politics. He also took a parting shot at then-Rep.-elect Hanabusa, saying of a project he had unsuccessfully sought funding for during the 111th Congress , "If rail funding doesn't come through, we have to lay the blame at the hands of Colleen Hanabusa and the rest of Hawaii's congressional delegation." Hanabusa, who was sworn in four days later,

Djou is married to Stacey Kawasaki Djou, a Japanese-American. They have three children. His surname "Djou" is a French transcription of his Chinese surname "Zhou" (???).

Djou served on the Board of Directors of the American Lung Association and was a member of the Kaneohe Neighborhood Board. He is currently a member of the Young Business Roundtable, the Rotary Club, and the Hawaii Telecommunications Association.

• Charles Djou for Congress official campaign site