Former U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, a dominant force in Hawaii politics for decades and a key player in the state’s rail saga, has died after a private battle with cancer. She was 74. Hanabusa is survived by her husband, John Souza, a former police detective.
From Waianae Roots to Statehouse Trailblazer
Born in 1951 and raised in Waianae, Hanabusa climbed the ranks of local politics to win a seat in the Hawaii State Senate in 1998. In 2007, she shattered a political glass ceiling when she became the chamber’s first female president.
Her influence soon extended far beyond the State Capitol. Hanabusa won a seat in the U.S. House in 2010, then returned to Congress in 2016 following the death of Rep. Mark Takai. According to Hawaii News Now, she championed major local initiatives, including long-stalled rail funding, and remained a polarizing but undeniably effective presence in island politics.
Hanabusa and Honolulu’s Rail Lifeline
After leaving Congress, Hanabusa turned her attention back home to one of the state’s most contentious public works projects, joining and later chairing the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation board. There, she pressed to secure federal support and lock in local revenue earmarks for the Skyline rail project, helping keep the troubled effort on financial life support.
Civil Beat reported that Hanabusa resigned from the HART board in September 2025 for health reasons, and board members credited her with helping salvage the project’s path to funding.
How She’ll Be Remembered
Political observers say Hanabusa will be remembered as a blunt, inside-the-room operator who was unafraid to square off with entrenched interests in a famously tight-knit political scene.
"I think it was one of the more momentous moments in Hawaii politics," political analyst Colin Moore told Hawaii News Now, pointing to episodes like the 2012 Senate succession fight as defining chapters in her career and her complicated, high-impact place in local history.
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