Andria Tupola facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Andria Tupola
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| Member of the Honolulu City Council from the 1st district |
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| Assumed office January 2, 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Kymberly Pine |
| Minority Leader of the Hawaii House of Representatives | |
| In office February 1, 2017 – November 6, 2018 |
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| Preceded by | Beth Fukumoto |
| Succeeded by | Gene Ward |
| Member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from the 43rd district |
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| In office November 4, 2014 – November 6, 2018 |
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| Preceded by | Karen Awana |
| Succeeded by | Stacelynn Kehaulani Eli |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 6, 1980 Oahu, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Relatives | Bode Uale (father) |
| Education | Brigham Young University (BA) University of Hawaii, Manoa (MA) |
Andria Pilialoha Lagimanino Tupola, born on December 6, 1980, is an American politician from Hawaii. She is currently a member of the Honolulu City Council, representing the 1st district since January 2021. Before this, she served in the Hawaii House of Representatives as a Republican from 2014 to 2018. During her time in the House, she was the minority floor leader for a year and later became the state house minority leader. This made her the first Samoan woman to hold that important position. In 2018, Andria Tupola ran for Governor of Hawaii but was not elected.
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Early Life and Family
Andria Tupola was born on the island of Oʻahu at Kahuku hospital. Her father, Bode Uale, was the first Samoan judge in the United States. He was a third-generation immigrant from Samoa. Her mother, Beth Parker, was named "mother of the year" in 2004. Beth Parker's father was Ed Parker, a famous Grandmaster of Kenpo Karate.
Education and Learning
Andria Tupola graduated from Kamehameha Schools in Kapālama, Honolulu, in 1998. She continued her education at Brigham Young University, where she earned her bachelor's degree in music education in 2005. She also spent a year and a half in Venezuela on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Later, she earned her Master of Arts degree in music education from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 2011. She completed her PhD in music education in December 2021.
Her Political Journey
Serving in the Hawaii House of Representatives
Andria Tupola began her political career by running for the Hawaii House of Representatives in 2014. She ran in District 43, which includes areas like Māʻili, Nānākuli, and Ko Olina.
- 2014 Election: She won the Republican primary election without any opponents. In the main election, she ran against the current representative, Karen Awana. Andria Tupola won with 56% of the votes. She was the only new person to win against a sitting representative in that election.
- 2016 Election: In 2016, she ran for re-election and again had no opponents in the Republican primary. She won the general election with 65% of the votes, defeating Stacelynn Kehaulani Eli.
Running for Governor
In 2018, Andria Tupola decided to run for Governor of Hawaii.
- 2018 Governor Election: She won the Republican primary election on August 11, 2018, with 53% of the votes. In the general election, she received 33% of the votes. She was the youngest candidate and the only Native Hawaiian woman running for governor as a Republican in that election year.
Joining the Honolulu City Council
In 2020, Andria Tupola ran for a seat on the Honolulu City Council for District 1.
- 2020 City Council Election: She competed against four other candidates in a non-partisan election. On August 8, she received 53.6% of the votes. This meant she won the election directly and did not need to go through a second round of voting. She began her four-year term on the Honolulu City Council in January 2021.
