Karl A. Rhoads was born on January 24, 1963. He is an American politician, lawyer, and a Democratic member of the Hawaii Senate. He has been serving District 13 since 2016. Prior to this, Rhoads served consecutively from 2012 to 2016 representing District 29 in the Hawaii House of Representatives and from November 2006 to 2012 in the District 28 seat.1
Rhoads earned his BA in chemistry and history at Andrews University, his MA at the University of London, and his JD from George Washington University. He was a summer clerk for Corinne Watanabe on the Intermediate Court of Appeals in 1985.
In 2006, when Democratic Representative Ken Hiraki retired and left the District 28 seat open, Rhoads won the three-way Democratic Primary with 59.4% of the votes, and won the General election with 49.9% of the votes against Republican nominee Collin Wong.
In 2008, Rhoads was unopposed for both the Democratic Primary, winning with 1,812 votes, and the General election. In 2010, Rhoads was unopposed for the Democratic Primary, winning with 2,686 votes, and won the General election with 52.3% of the votes against Republican nominee David Chang.
In 2012, redistricted to District 29, and with Democratic Representative Joey Manahan running for Honolulu City Council, Rhoads won the Democratic Primary with 1,604 votes, and was unopposed for the General election.
In November 2016, Rhoads ran for election to the Hawaii State Senate to represent District 13 and won. His current term ends on November 3, 2026. Rhoads has served on several committees during his tenure in the Hawaii State Senate, including the Agriculture and Environment Committee, Senate Housing Committee, and Judiciary Committee, where he currently serves as Chair.
