Cynthia Thielen

Cynthia Thielen
Member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from the 50th district 19th (1990–1992) 49th (1992-2002)
In office November 6, 1990 – November 3, 2020
Preceded by	Ed Bybee[1]
Succeeded by	Patrick Branco
Personal details
Born	(1933-09-22) September 22, 1933 (age 91) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Mickey Thielen
Children	4, including Laura
Education	Case Western Reserve University Stanford University University of Hawaii, Manoa (BA, JD)
Website	Official website

Cynthia Henry Thielen (born September 22, 1933) is an American politician who served as a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives representing District 50, the Kailua and Kaneohe Bay areas of Oahu County. A Republican, she served in the state House of Representatives from 1990 until 2020.^[2] She served as minority floor leader from 1992 to 1997 and was the assistant minority leader at the time of her retirement.

She was the Republican nominee for United States Senate in 2006, challenging incumbent Democrat Daniel Akaka.^[3] She lost to Akaka, 62% to 38%, in the general election.^[4]

Political Positions

Representative Thielen has described herself as a "progressive Republican"^[5] and has been described as a moderate Republican.^[6][7][8][9] The American Conservative Union gives Rep. Thielen a 28% rating.^[10]

She supports abortion rights.^[11] She was supported during her 2006 US Senate campaign by The WISH List, which supports pro-abortion rights Republican women.^[12] In her 2018 reelection campaign, she was endorsed by Planned Parenthood's political arm.^[13]

In 2013, she was the only Republican in the State House of Hawaii to support same-sex marriage.^[14]

Biography

Thielen was born in Los Angeles, California. She attended Stanford University, Case Western Reserve University, and the University of Hawaiʻi, graduating with a degree in law. She is a founding member of the Law Review.

Thielen retired from her role as a state legislator, opting not to run in the 2020 general election.^[15]

See also

• 2006 United States Senate election in Hawaii

References

1. Lind, Ian Y., ed. (July 1, 1991). "Legislators Reveal Financial, Business Ties" (PDF). Hawaii Monitor. p. 2.
2. votesmart
3. "GOP picks Thielen to oppose Akaka", Pacific Business Journal, September 28, 2006
4. "Easy wins for Lingle, Akaka and Hirono"^{[dead link]}, Honolulu Advertiser, November 8, 2006
5. Nakaso, Dan (2020-01-12). "30 years later, it's the last session for Rep. Cynthia Thielen". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
6. "House Republican Infighting: Move to Dump Thielen, Johanson Fails > Hawaii Free Press". hawaiifreepress.com. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
7. Blair, Chad. "Has Obama Lost His Aloha Spirit?". POLITICO Magazine. Archived from the original on 2014-01-01. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
8. Nagaoka, Ashley (2 February 2017). "State representative could leave GOP over Trump concerns". Hawaii News Now. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
9. "Cynthia Thielen on Principles & Values". ontheissues.org. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
10. "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
11. "Cynthia Thielen on the Issues". issues2000.org. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
12. "Wish List Contributions to Federal Candidates, 2006 cycle | OpenSecrets". opensecrets.org. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
13. "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
14. "House GOP infighting over same-sex marriage bill". hawaiinewsnow.com. 30 October 2013. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
15. De Gracia, Danny (October 14, 2019). "The Bipartisan Political Legacy of Cynthia Thielen". Honolulu Civil Beat. Retrieved December 29, 2020.

External links

Party political offices
Preceded by Jerry Coffee Withdrew	Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Hawaii (Class 1) 2006	Succeeded by Linda Lingle