Justin Woodson

American politician

Justin Woodson^[1]


Member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from the 9th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 15, 2013
Preceded by	Gilbert Keith-Agaran

Personal details
Born	1976 or 1977 (age 46–47)^[2] Kansas
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Stacy Suyat Woodson
Children	4
Alma mater	California State University Fullerton
Profession	Small Business Owner

Justin Woodson^[3] is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Hawaii House of Representatives since January 15, 2013 representing District 9, which includes Kahului, Puʻunene, Old Sand Hills, and Maui Lani. Woodson currently serves as Chairperson on the Committee of Higher and Lower Education, a member of the Housing and Transportation Committee, and serves as the Majority Whip for the House. Woodson previously served as a member on the Intrastate, Tourism, Veterans, Military, International Affairs, Culture and Arts Committees.

Woodson helped initiate the Hawaiʻi Promise Program, Hawaiʻi's version of free college within the community college system for in-state students that demonstrate financial need. Woodson has publicly expressed his interest in expanding the Hawaiʻi Promise Program to all University of Hawaiʻi schools and is a strong advocate for world class K-12 public education in the state of Hawaiʻi and across the United States. He is also a proponent of early education and has worked to help build out a high quality public pre-kindergarten system in Hawaiʻi.

Personal life

Woodson and his wife, Stacy Suyat Woodson, have four children.

Education

Woodson earned his BA in political science from California State University Fullerton.

Elections

Woodson was appointed by Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie to fill the vacancy left by current Hawaii State Senator Gilbert Keith-Agaran
In 2014, Woodson defeated James "Kimo" Apana to the Hawaii House of Representative.
In 2016, Woodson won re-election to the Hawaii House of Representatives.
In 2018, Woodson defeated Kauanoe Batangan in the Democratic primary for the Hawaii House of Representatives District 9 on August 11, 2018.

References

^ "Representative Justin Woodson". Honolulu, Hawaii: Hawaii State Legislature. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
^ Tanji, Melissa (26 June 2022). "Primary election for House District 9 is a 'winner-take-all' contest". The Maui News. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
^ "Justin Woodson's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved November 26, 2013.