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Ty Cullen
Ty Cullen (Democratic Party) was a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives, representing District 39. He assumed office on November 6, 2012. He left office on February 8, 2022.
Cullen (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Hawaii House of Representatives to represent District 39. He won in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Cullen was first elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives in 2010. He represented District 41 from 2010 to 2012. He was redistricted into District 39 in 2012 and won re-election.
Cullen resigned on February 8, 2022.[1] Click here to learn more.
Biography
Cullen earned his B.A. in sociology and political science and his MPA from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. His professional experience includes working as a program coordinator at Hale Kipa, Inc., a nonprofit organization that serves at-risk youth, a ramp agent for Aloha Airlines, and a teaching assistant at St. Michael's School. He has volunteered in his community; he has served as an HIV/AIDS prevention instructor, an assistant coach for PONY League youth baseball, and a tutor at St. Joseph's School.[2]
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.
2021-2022
Cullen was assigned to the following committees:
- House Committee on Public Safety
- Finance Committee, Vice-Chair
- Government Reform Committee (decommissioned)
2019-2020
Cullen was assigned to the following committees:
- House Housing Committee
- Legislative Management Committee, Chair
- Finance Committee, Vice Chair
- House Transportation Committee
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Hawaii committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Energy & Environmental Protection |
| • Finance, Vice chair |
| • Water & Land |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Cullen served on the following committees:
| Hawaii committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Energy & Environmental Protection |
| • Finance |
| • Ocean, Marine Resources, & Hawaiian Affairs |
| • Water & Land, Vice chair |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Cullen served on the following committees:
| Hawaii committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Energy & Environmental Protection |
| • Finance |
| • Tourism, Vice Chair |
| • Ocean, Marine Resources, & Hawaiian Affairs, Vice Chair |
| • Water & Land |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Cullen served on these committees:
| Hawaii committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Finance |
| • Labor & Public Employment |
| • Public Safety & Military Affairs, Vice Chair |
| • Transportation |
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
2020
See also: Hawaii House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for Hawaii House of Representatives District 39
Incumbent Ty Cullen defeated Austin Maglinti in the general election for Hawaii House of Representatives District 39 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Ty Cullen (D) | 65.8 | 7,420 |
 | Austin Maglinti (R) | 34.2 | 3,849 | |
| Total votes: 11,269 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 39
Incumbent Ty Cullen advanced from the Democratic primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 39 on August 8, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ty Cullen | 100.0 | 3,298 |
| Total votes: 3,298 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 39
Austin Maglinti advanced from the Republican primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 39 on August 8, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Austin Maglinti | 100.0 | 834 |
| Total votes: 834 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2018
See also: Hawaii House of Representatives elections, 2018
General election
The general election was canceled. Incumbent Ty Cullen won election in the general election for Hawaii House of Representatives District 39.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 39
Incumbent Ty Cullen advanced from the Democratic primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 39 on August 11, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ty Cullen | 100.0 | 2,961 |
| Total votes: 2,961 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
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 Ty Cullen ran unopposed in the Hawaii House of Representatives District 39 general election.[3]
| Hawaii House of Representatives, District 39 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic |  Ty Cullen Incumbent (unopposed) | |
| Source: State of Hawaii - Office of Elections | ||
Incumbent Ty Cullen ran unopposed in the Hawaii House of Representatives District 39 Democratic primary.[4][5]
| Hawaii House of Representatives, District 39 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Ty Cullen Incumbent (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 Ty J.K. Cullen was unopposed in the Democratic primary and was unchallenged in the general election.[6][7][8]
2012
Cullen won re-election in the 2012 election for Hawaii House of Representatives District 39. Cullen ran unopposed in the August 11 Democratic primary and defeated Carl Wong (R) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[9][10][11]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ty Cullen Incumbent |
75.7% | 5,282 | |
| Republican | Carl Wong | 24.3% | 1,697 | |
| Total Votes | 6,979 | |||
2010
Ty Cullen defeated Cory Chun, Leatrice Grantham, and Fernie Nicolas in the September 18 primary. He defeated Carl Wong in the general election.[12]
| Hawaii House of Representatives, District 41 (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Ty Cullen (D)
|
4,510 | 69.6% | ||
| Carl Wong (R) | 1,639 | 25.3% | ||
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Ty Cullen did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Noteworthy events
Charge of honest services wire fraud and resignation (2022)
The U.S. Department of Justice charged Cullen with one count of honest services wire fraud on February 8, 2022; he resigned from the state House later that day. He allegedly accepted "benefits and gifts, such as casino chips and cash intended to influence his official actions as a legislator."[1] Cullen pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal on February 15, 2022. Sentencing was set for October 20, 2022, and later changed to April 6, 2023.[13][14][15][16]
On April 6, 2023, Cullen was sentenced to two years' imprisonment.[17]
Following his sentencing, Cullen said, “I apologize to the people of Hawaii and will work my life making this wrong right, thank you.”[18]
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.
2022
In 2022, the Hawaii State Legislature was in session from January 19 to May 5.
2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the Hawaii State Legislature was in session from January 20 to April 29.
|
2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the Hawaii State Legislature was in session from January 15 to July 10.
|
2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Hawaii State Legislature was in session from January 16 through May 2.
|
2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
|---|
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In 2018, the Hawaii State Legislature was in session from January 17 through May 3.
|
2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the Hawaii State Legislature was in session from January 18 through May 4. The Legislature held a special session from July 12 from July 20. The legislature held its first special session from August 28 to September 1. The legislature held its second special session from September 25 to September 26. The legislature held its third special session on November 14.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Hawaii State Legislature was in session from January 20 through May 5. The Legislature held a special session from July 12 from July 20.
|
2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
|---|
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In 2015, the Hawaii State Legislature was in session from January 21 through May 7.
|
2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the Hawaii State Legislature was in session from January 15 through May 2.
|
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
|---|
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In 2013, the Hawaii State Legislature was in session from January 16 to May 3.
|
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 KHON 2, "Hotels, casino chips and other bribes: U.S. Attorney charges 2 Hawaii legislators with honest services wire fraud," February 8, 2022
- ↑ Vote Smart, "Ty Cullen's Biography," accessed February 16, 2022
- ↑ State of Hawaii, "General Election 2016 - State of Hawaii – Statewide November 8, 2016," accessed November 23, 2016
- ↑ State of Hawaii, "2016 Candidate Report," accessed June 10, 2016
- ↑ 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 2012 Primary election results," accessed March 24, 2014
- ↑ Hawaii Secretary of State, "Official 2012 General election results," accessed March 24, 2014
- ↑ Hawaii Secretary of State, "Official 2010 General election results," accessed December 13, 2013
- ↑ Hawaii News Now, "‘People should be enraged’: Two ex-lawmakers plead guilty in corruption case, admit to taking bribes," February 15, 2022
- ↑ Honolulu Star Advertiser, "Former state Rep. Ty Cullen gets new sentencing date in bribery case," June 4, 2022
- ↑ Honolulu Civil Beat, "Hawaii Standards Commission Moves To Tighten Ethics Rules For Lawmakers And Lobbyists," October 26, 2022
- ↑ KWXX, "Former Maui Official Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison For Bribery," February 9, 2023
- ↑ Hawaii News Now, "Former state Rep. Ty Cullen sentenced to 2 years for taking big bribes for legislative action," April 6, 2023
- ↑ KHON 2, "Ty Cullen sentenced 2 years in prison for role in bribery scheme," April 6, 2023
- ↑ Paychecks Hawaii, "PAYCHECKS HAWAII Ratings of the 2013 Hawaii State Legislature," accessed July 11, 2017
- ↑ Paychecks Hawaii, "PAYCHECKS HAWAII Ratings of the 2013 Hawaii State Legislature," accessed July 11, 2017
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Hawaii House of Representatives District 39 2012-2022 |
Succeeded by Luella Costales (D) |
| Preceded by - |
Hawaii House of Representatives District 41 2010-2012 |
Succeeded by - |
