Hawaii was admitted to the Union on August 21, 1959, and elects U.S. senators to classes 1 and 3. Seven people including only one Republican have served as a U.S. senator from Hawaii. The state's current U.S. senators are Democrats Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono. Hawaii's class 1 seat is the only one in the United States that has always been held by an ethnic minority.[citation needed] Its class 3 seat is the only one in the United States that has always been held by a member of the Democratic Party.[citation needed]
Hawaii last elected a Republican in 1970, which has resulted in the longest streak in the nation for a state's having all-Democratic senators. Daniel K. Inouye was Hawaii's longest-serving senator, from 1963 to 2012.
Class 3Class 3 U.S. senators belong to the electoral cycle that has recently been contested in 2010, 2014 (special election), 2016, and 2022. The next election will be in 2028.