FOXNews.com: Hawaii governor taps Lt. Gov. Schatz over Rep. Hanabusa to fill Senate seat

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Hawaii governor taps Lt. Gov. Schatz over Rep. Hanabusa to fill Senate seat Dec 27th 2012, 00:08 HONOLULU –  Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz of Hawaii has been appointed to succeed the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye. Gov. Neil Abercrombie announced the appointment after receiving a list of three candidates from the state Democratic Party Wednesday. Inouye died Dec. 17 of respiratory complications at the age of 88. He had sent Abercrombie a letter that day, saying his last wish was for U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa to succeed him. "Senator Inouye conveyed his final wish to Governor Abercrombie.  While we are very disappointed that it was not honored, it was the Governor's decision to make.  We wish Brian Schatz the best of luck," said Jennifer Sabas, Chief of Staff to former Senator Daniel K. Inouye. Schatz will serve until an election is held in 2014. Had Hanabusa been appointed, a special election would have been needed to fill her seat. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had urged Abercrombie to name Inouye's successor before the end of the year. Schatz could be sworn in as early as this week, which would make him Hawaii's senior senator heading into the new Congress, which begins Jan. 3. Sen. Daniel Akaka is retiring at the end of this Congress, after 22 years in the Senate. Democratic Rep. Mazie Hirono was elected in November to succeed him. Schatz, 40, is a former state representative and a former chairman of the state Democratic Party. He also was a leader of President Barack Obama's campaign in Hawaii in 2008. In making his case before the party's central committee Wednesday, he said he understood the importance of seniority in the Senate and said that if he was appointed, he would strive to make serving in the Senate his life's work. Fox News' Chad Pergram and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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