MEET STANLEY
Stanley Chang represents East Honolulu, Diamond Head to Hawaii Kai, in the Hawaii State Senate. A lifelong resident of Waialae-Kahala, Stanley attended Wai-Kahala Preschool, Kahala Elementary School, and Iolani School before attending college and law school at Harvard University. He practiced real estate law at Cades Schutte in Honolulu. Stanley served four years on the Honolulu City Council from 2011 to 2015. In 2016, he was elected to the State Senate as its youngest member, defeating the only Republican member and making the Hawaii Senate the first legislative chamber in the United States without a minority party since 1983. As chair of the Committee on Housing since 2018, Stanley has pursued an innovative public sector housing program modeled on the successful Singapore and Vienna, Austria models to solve Hawaii’s decades-long affordable housing shortage.
Stanley is married to Annie and has a two year old daughter, Elizabeth.
A LOCAL BOY FROM KAHALA
Senator Chang was raised in East Honolulu by hardworking immigrants from China, who instilled in him the core values of responsibility, humility, and honesty. He attended Kahala Elementary School and ‘Iolani School, where he developed an interest in public service as a member of student government. Through years of determination and grit— and the help of his community— he graduated top of his class and earned a scholarship to attend Harvard College.
REPRESENTING HAWAII AT HARVARD
Senator Chang attended Harvard in 2000, where he majored in Government. While earning his undergraduate degree, he spent hours honing his political platform, discussing politics with future leaders like Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Stanley graduated magna cum laude in 2004.
Immediately thereafter, he attended Harvard Law School, where he learned from a number of esteemed law professors, like U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren. He graduated from Harvard Law School cum laude in 2008.
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Stanley and Pete Buttigieg at Harvard
AN INTRO TO PUBLIC SERVICE
After campaigning for 15 months and knocking on 19,000 doors, Senator Chang won the seat representing Honolulu City Council District 4. He served for four years, working as an outspoken advocate for improving Honolulu infrastructure and increasing funding for road repairs. As Vice Chair of the Budget Committee, he oversaw the city's $2 billion operating budget.
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Following a rigorous tenure at the county level, he announced his candidacy for Hawaii State Senate District 9, challenging long-time incumbent Republican Sam Slom.
Stanley speaking during his time in the City Council
PROUDLY SERVING DISTRICT 9
Senator Chang was elected to the Hawai’i State Senate in 2016, where he was made Chair of the Housing Committee. Upon hearing the stories of houseless and housing-insecure Hawaii citizens, Senator Chang quickly made Hawaii's housing crisis his top priority.
He extensively researched the issue: speaking with housing experts from around the world, hosting housing conferences, even conducting a housing delegation to Singapore. Through this research, he proposed numerous housing-related legislation— working with colleagues to solve a housing shortage that vastly affects District 9, and Hawaii as a whole.
Stanley being sworn in as a Senator in 2016