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Joseph Souki
Joseph M. "Joe" Souki is a former Democratic member of the Hawaii House of Representatives, representing District 8. He was first elected to the chamber in 1982. Souki resigned on March 30, 2018, due to allegations of sexual misconduct.[1] Read more below.
Souki served as speaker of the House from 2013 to 2017 and from 1993 to 1999. He resigned from his leadership position on May 4, 2017.[2] He also served as Speaker Emeritus from 2000 to 2013. Souki has been an Officer/Precinct Chair for the Democratic Party since 1966.
Biography
Souki's professional experience includes working as a Realtor for Joseph M. Souki Realty, as Executive Director of Maui Economic Opportunity, Incorporated from 1966-1982 and working for the Maui Electric Company, Biddle Trade Bureau and Maui Soda and Ice Company.[3]
Committee assignments
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Souki served on the following committees:
| Hawaii committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Souki served on these committees:
| Hawaii committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Consumer Protection & Commerce |
| • Judiciary |
| • Public Safety & Military Affairs |
| • Transportation, Chair |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Souki served on these committees:
| Hawaii committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Consumer Protection & Commerce |
| • Judiciary |
| • Labor & Public Employment |
| • Public Safety |
| • Transportation, Chair |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2016
Elections for the Hawaii House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 13, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 7, 2016.
Incumbent Joseph Souki defeated Gilbert Rebolledo in the Hawaii House of Representatives District 8 general election.[4]
| Hawaii House of Representatives, District 8 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Joseph Souki Incumbent |
71.67% | 6,514 | |
| Republican | Gilbert Rebolledo | 28.33% | 2,575 | |
| Total Votes | 9,089 | |||
| Source: State of Hawaii - Office of Elections | ||||
Incumbent Joseph Souki defeated Richard Abbett in the Hawaii House of Representatives District 8 Democratic primary.[5][6]
| Hawaii House of Representatives, District 8 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Joseph Souki Incumbent |
74.99% | 3,380 | |
| Democratic | Richard Abbett | 25.01% | 1,127 | |
| Total Votes | 4,507 | |||
Gilbert Rebolledo ran unopposed in the Hawaii House of Representatives District 8 Republican primary.[5][6]
| Hawaii House of Representatives, District 8 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Gilbert Rebolledo (unopposed) | |
2014
Elections for the Hawaii House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 9, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 3, 2014. Incumbent Joe Souki was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Cranston Kaleialoha Kapoi was unopposed in the Republican primary. Souki defeated Kapoi in the general election.[7][8][9]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Souki Incumbent |
66.4% | 5,359 | |
| Republican | Cranston Kaleialoha Kapoi | 33.6% | 2,715 | |
| Total Votes | 8,074 | |||
2012
Souki won re-election in the 2012 election for Hawaii House of Representatives District 8. He ran unopposed in the August 11 primary and ran unopposed in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[10]
2010
Souki successfully won re-election in 2010. He defeated Thomas Cerizo, Justin Hughey, and Tasha Kama in the primary on September 18, 2010. The general election took place on November 2, 2010. Dean Schmucker ran on the Republican ticket for this seat.[11]
| Hawaii House of Representatives, District 8 (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Joseph Souki (D)
|
5,686 | 71.8% | ||
| Dean Schmucker (R) | 1,694 | 21.4% | ||
2008
In 2008, Souki won re-election to the Hawaii House of Representatives from Hawaii's 8th District. Souki ran unopposed in the general election. He raised $55,030 for his campaign.[12]
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Hawaii scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
Noteworthy events
Resignation following ethics investigation (2018)
On March 21, 2018, Souki announced he would resign from office following an investigation by the Hawaii State Ethics Commission found that Souki sexually harassed multiple women through unwanted touching, kissing, and sexual remarks. It also found that he likely violated the state's Fair Treatment Law, which says lawmakers cannot use their position to obtain benefits or subject others to unfavorable treatment. As part of a settlement, Souki agreed to resign by March 31, pay a $5,000 fine, and not seek election for two years. According to the agreement, Souki admitted that he "touched and kissed more than one woman in ways that were inappropriate and unwelcome."
The investigation into Souki began when Rachael Wong, the former head of Hawaii's Department of Human Services, filed a formal complaint against Souki. She said that Souki made inappropriate comments to her and made an inappropriate request for physical contact with her.[13]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Souki is a Trustee of Hale Makua, Director of Federal Land Bank, and Director of Cameron Center.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for Joseph + Souki + Hawaii + Legislature
See also
- Hawaii House of Representatives
- Hawaii House Committees
- Hawaii House of Representatives District 8
- Hawaii State Legislature
External links
- Joseph Souki's personal website
- Profile from Open States
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions: 2012, 2010, 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1998
Footnotes
- ↑ Honolulu Star Advertiser, "Souki resigning amid harassment complaints," March 21, 2018
- ↑ Honolulu Star Advertiser, "Souki resigns as House speaker in leadership shake-up," May 4, 2017
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Biography," accessed March 24, 2014
- ↑ State of Hawaii, "General Election 2016 - State of Hawaii – Statewide November 8, 2016," accessed November 23, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 State of Hawaii, "2016 Candidate Report," accessed June 10, 2016
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Hawaii.gov, "Primary Election results," accessed September 12, 2016
- ↑ Hawaii Secretary of State, "Official primary candidate list," accessed June 6, 2014
- ↑ Hawaii Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed August 25, 2014
- ↑ Hawaii Secretary of State, "Official general election results," accessed November 12, 2014
- ↑ civilbeat.com, " Unofficial 2012 Primary election candidate list," accessed March 24, 2014
- ↑ Hawaii Secretary of State, "Official 2010 General election results," accessed December 13, 2013
- ↑ Follow The Money, "Campaign funds," accessed March 24, 2014
- ↑ ABC News, "Hawaii lawmaker is latest to resign after misconduct probe," March 21, 2018
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by ' |
Hawaii House of Representatives District 8 1982–2018 |
Succeeded by Troy Hashimoto (D) |
