Sylvia Luke
- House: 1998-2022
News coverage of Sylvia Luke
Bio
Sylvia Luke is a longtime legislator who served for many years as the chair of the House Finance Committee before her election to the office of lieutenant governor in 2022. A rising star in the Democratic Party she was just starting her reelection campaign in spring 2026 when she was ensnared in a long-running investigation, first by the feds then handed off to the state, into bribery and campaign finance violations. In April that year, Luke decided to take an unpaid leave from her elected position after the state Attorney General’s Office informed her she was a target of its bribery investigation. The probe stems from a 2022 FBI case that resulted in convictions of two lawmakers on bribery charges and the question of a third mystery lawmaker who the FBI recorded taking $35,000 from a lobbyist.
Born in South Korea, Luke immigrated to Honolulu with her family when she was 9 years old. The 58-year-old Luke was one of the highest-ranking Korean American officials in the U.S., her official bio says. She was elected to the state House in 1998 and was known for her sharp eye when it came to the state’s finances. Luke is an attorney who had a law practice for many years in Honolulu. As lieutenant governor, she made expanding preschool her primary initiative.
Job Description
The lieutenant governor acts as governor when the governor is absent from the state or is unable to exercise and discharge the powers and duties of office, according tot he Legislative Reference Bureau. The lieutenant governor is designated the Secretary of State for intergovernmental relations. The duties and functions of the Lieutenant Governor include recording all legislative and gubernatorial acts, certification of state documents,
administration of the State’s Time Share Commissioners of Deeds Program and maintenance of an official file of rules adopted by state departments. In addition, under the lieutenant governor issues orders for change of names, heads special task forces or projects, as delegated by the
governor, and serves as community liaison. The office maintains copies of the notices and agenda of public agency meetings for departments and agencies.
Financials
This feature tracks three sources of money intended to help a candidate win election: 1-Money given directly to a candidate’s committee, 2-Money given to an Independent Expenditure Committee, 3-Money given to a political party.
Election
This display shows money given directly to the incumbent’s campaign committee (NOTE: The industry categories for donors come from Open Secrets, a nonpartisan research organization for campaign finance. Some contributions are “uncoded,” meaning they have not been assigned to an industry sector. As a result, the total for each sector is also an estimate).
Influence
There are three categories of donations to legislators after they are elected that encourage a working relationship between the donor and the legislator. The three categories are: 1-Gifts, 2-Travel, 3-Behests.
Policy
Bill Positions
This officeholder or this office has taken positions on the following bills during the current session.
Election Results
Previous Election (2022):