Linda Lingle facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Linda Lingle
Lingle in 2010
6th Governor of Hawaii
In office December 2, 2002 – December 6, 2010
Lieutenant	Duke Aiona
Preceded by	Ben Cayetano
Succeeded by	Neil Abercrombie
Chair of the Hawaii Republican Party
In office January 2, 1999 – December 2, 2002
3rd Mayor of Maui
In office January 2, 1991 – January 2, 1999
Preceded by	Hannibal Tavares
Succeeded by	Kimo Apana
Personal details
Born	Linda Cutter (1953-06-04) June 4, 1953 (age 72) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouses	Charles Lingle ​ ​ (m. 1972; div. 1975)​ William Crockett ​ ​ (m. 1986; div. 1997)​
Education	California State University, Northridge (BA)
Signature

Linda Lingle (born Linda Cutter on June 4, 1953) is an American politician. She served as the sixth Governor of Hawaii. She was governor from 2002 to 2010.

Linda Lingle made history in Hawaii. She was the first Republican to be elected governor since 1959. She was also the first woman governor of Hawaii. Plus, she was the first Jewish person to hold the governor's office.

Before becoming governor, Lingle was the Mayor of Maui County. She served as mayor from 1991 to 1999. She also led the Hawaii Republican Party from 1999 to 2002.

In 2012, she ran for the United States Senate but did not win. She is the only woman to have been Hawaii's governor. She and her lieutenant governor, Duke Aiona, were the last Republicans to hold a statewide office in Hawaii.

After her time as governor, Lingle continued to be involved in public service. In 2015, she became a senior advisor to the Governor of Illinois. She also joined the board of trustees for Hawaii Pacific University in 2017.

Early Life and Education

Linda Cutter was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1953. Her parents were Mildred and Richard Cutter. When she was 12, her family moved to Southern California.

She went to Birmingham High School in Lake Balboa, California. Later, she earned her bachelor's degree in journalism. She graduated with honors from California State University, Northridge, in 1975.

After college, she moved to Hawaii to join her father. She first worked in Honolulu for a workers' union. Then, she moved to Molokai. There, she started a local newspaper called the Molokai Free Press.

Starting in Local Politics

In 1980, Linda Lingle was elected to the Maui County Council. She served on the council for five terms, each lasting two years. She represented Molokai for three terms. For two terms, she was an at-large member, representing the whole county.

In 1990, the mayor of Maui County, Hannibal Tavares, retired. Lingle decided to run for mayor. She ran against Elmer Cravalho, a former Maui mayor. Even though polls showed Lingle was far behind, she won the election.

Newspapers called her victory one of the biggest upsets in Hawaii's political history. She became the youngest person elected mayor of Maui County at 37. She was also the first woman to hold that office. She became mayor on January 2, 1991. In 1994, she easily won re-election.

As mayor, Lingle helped Maui County manage its money better. This earned her an award for budget presentation for four years. She also helped bring more tourists and jobs to Maui County. This was during a time when tourism in the state was struggling.

Running for Governor in 1998

In 1998, Lingle decided to run for governor of Hawaii. She could not run for a third term as mayor of Maui. The Hawaii Republican Party chose her to run against the current governor, Ben Cayetano.

Republicans felt Lingle had the best chance to win. They believed 1998 was their best opportunity. Lingle focused on people's unhappiness with the economy. Many residents were not happy with how the Democrats were handling the state's problems.

Polls showed Cayetano behind Lingle before the election. On election night, the votes were very close. Lingle lost by a very small number of votes. It was the closest election in Hawaii's history.

Leading the State Republican Party

Linda Lingle christens the USS Hawaii (SSN-776) submarine.

After her close loss in the governor's race, Lingle was elected to lead the Hawaii Republican Party. She served as chair from 1999 to 2002.

During her time as party chair, Lingle made many changes. She wanted to make the Republican Party stronger. Hawaii had been a state mostly led by the Democratic Party.

Her changes helped the party grow. More Republicans were elected to the Hawaii State Legislature. At its strongest, the party held 19 out of 51 seats in the state House of Representatives. More young people also joined the party.

Governor of Hawaii

2002 Gubernatorial Campaign

In 2002, Governor Cayetano announced he would retire. Linda Lingle was very popular in Hawaii. She was chosen again as the Republican candidate for governor.

Her campaign got a big boost when a popular Democratic mayor, Jeremy Harris, dropped out. This happened because of questions about his campaign money. Hawaii Democrats then chose Mazie Hirono, who was the lieutenant governor. This was a rare election where both main candidates were women.

Lingle ran on a plan called "Agenda for New Beginnings." This plan promoted Republican ideas. It also pointed out issues with the state's Democratic leadership over the past 40 years.

Lingle focused on her message of reform. She won the election with Duke Aiona as her lieutenant governor. Aiona was a former state judge.

Lingle was the first governor not to be sworn in at Iolani Palace. She took her oath of office in the Hawaii State Capitol. She used a Tanakh, a Jewish holy book, for her oath.

First Term as Governor

In May 2004, Governor Lingle visited Israel. The trip was paid for by the Israeli Government. She was very popular with the public, with approval ratings around 70 percent.

In 2004, Lingle spent a lot of time campaigning for other Republicans. She supported President George W. Bush's policies. She also campaigned for Bush in other states. She hoped to help Republicans win in Hawaii for the first time since 1984.

However, Democrats won more seats in the state legislature. This made it harder for Lingle to block their decisions. In the end, President Bush did not win Hawaii.

In January 2006, Lingle received an honorary degree. It was from the University of the City of Manila in the Philippines. She received it during an official visit.

Lingle tried to change the State Board of Education. She wanted to divide it into seven local school boards, but this plan did not pass. One of her big decisions was to send prisoners to the mainland. This was instead of building a new prison in Hawaii.

2006 Re-election Campaign

Linda Lingle in December 2006

In 2006, Lingle announced she would run for re-election. Many Democrats were thought to run against her, but most decided not to. Finally, former state senator Randy Iwase decided to run.

Iwase was considered an underdog. He spent much less money on his campaign than Lingle. He criticized Lingle for her relationship with President Bush. Governor Lingle won by a large margin. She received 63 percent of the votes to Iwase's 35 percent. This was the biggest win margin in Hawaii's history for a governor.

Second Term as Governor

In August 2007, the Hawaii Supreme Court made a ruling. It said that a company called Hawaii Superferry needed to study its environmental impact. The Superferry was a large, fast ferry. Even with the ruling, the ferry sailed to Kauai. Protesters on surfboards blocked it and sent it back.

Lingle called for a large police and Coast Guard response. She warned protesters they could face anti-terrorism charges. Lingle then tried to pass a law to allow the Superferry to operate without the environmental study. However, the Hawaii Supreme Court later said this law was unconstitutional. The Superferry stopped all service in Hawaii in March 2009.

2008 Republican Convention

Lingle again campaigned for the Republican candidates in 2008. She said she was similar to John McCain and Sarah Palin. She gained national attention when she gave a speech at the 2008 Republican National Convention. She praised McCain's choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate.

Lingle and Palin were friends. They were both Republican women governors of states not connected to the main U.S. landmass. Palin had also attended college in Hawaii in the 1980s.

School Furlough Protests

In April 2010, students protested a school furlough policy. This policy meant schools had to close on certain days due to budget problems. Some students held a sit-in at Lingle's office. Two students were arrested, and others were given warnings.

Civil Union Veto

On July 6, 2010, Lingle vetoed a bill. This bill would have allowed civil unions for couples in Hawaii. She believed the public should vote on this issue directly. The bill had enough votes in the state senate to override her veto, but not in the state house.

Leaving Office

Linda Lingle could not run for a third term as governor. She was followed by Democrat Neil Abercrombie. She left office on December 6, 2010. She was the second Republican governor in Hawaii's history. She is the only Republican governor to be re-elected by popular vote.

2012 U.S. Senate Election

In October 2011, Lingle announced she would run for the U.S. Senate. She wanted the seat left open by retiring Senator Daniel Akaka. She won the Republican primary election in August 2012. She then faced Mazie Hirono in the main election. This was a repeat of their 2002 governor's race.

Lingle was the strongest Republican candidate for a full Senate term in Hawaii in a long time. Even though some polls showed the race was close, Hirono won. Hirono received 63 percent of the vote, and Lingle received 37 percent.

After 2012

After her Senate campaign, Lingle taught a public policy class. It was at California State University, Northridge, her old college. She also gave speeches and worked with policy groups.

In January 2015, Lingle became a senior advisor to Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner. She worked on state problems like the retirement system. She left this position in July 2016. Weeks later, she spoke at the 2016 Republican National Convention. She talked about Jewish support for the Republican Party.

In January 2017, Lingle shared that she planned to move back to Hawaii. In June 2017, she became a member of Hawaii Pacific University's board of trustees.

In December 2018, Lingle gave a speech for a leadership series. She talked about her path to leadership. She said leaders are not born, but they learn from challenges. They also take chances when others do not.

Lingle supported Rick Blangiardi in 2020. He won the election to become the mayor of Honolulu in January 2021.

Personal Life

Linda Lingle has been married and divorced twice. She married Charles Lingle in 1972 while in college. They divorced in 1975, but she kept the Lingle name.

She married her second husband, William Crockett, in 1986. He was an attorney in Maui. They divorced in 1997, during her time as mayor of Maui County. Linda Lingle is currently single and does not have children.

Her uncle started the Cutter Ford car dealerships in Hawaii.

Lingle is recognized as a distinguished alumni from California State University, Northridge. She received this honor in 2004.

She is active in the Republican Jewish Coalition. She often speaks at their events. President George W. Bush chose her to join a special group. This group went with him to Jerusalem in May 2008. They celebrated the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel.

Electoral History

See also

• List of female governors in the United States
• Washington Place