Neil Abercrombie announced the appointment after receiving a list of three candidates from the state Democratic Party earlier in the day. U.S. Sen.-designate Brian Schatz left for Washington aboard Air Force One tonight after he was selected by Gov. Brian Schatz of Hawaii was appointed Wednesday to succeed the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye. Schatz said he would also reach out to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and to the White House on the pressing issues now before Congress. Schatz, a former Makiki state lawmaker and Democratic Party of Hawaii chairman, was elected lieutenant governor in 2010. Abercrombie chose Schatz from a list of recommendations from the Democratic Party of Hawaii that included U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa and and Esther Kiaaina, the deputy director of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. Jennifer Sabas, Inouye's chief of staff, issued a statement, saying, "Sen. Inouye conveyed his final wish to Gov. He had sent Abercrombie a letter that day, saying he would like Hanabusa, 61, to succeed him. While we are very disappointed that it was not honored, it was the governor's decision to make," Jennifer Sabas, Inouye's chief of staff, said in a statement. "We wish Brian Schatz the best of luck." 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. U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono, who was elected in November to replace the retiring U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, would be the junior senator. Schatz will serve until voters in 2014 elect a senator to fill out the remainder of Inouye's six-year term, which runs through 2016. Inouye died Dec. 17 of respiratory complications at the age of 88.
– The late Sen. Daniel Inouye's seat has been filled—although his replacement goes against Inouye's "last wish," the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports. Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie today chose Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz, a former leader of the state Democratic Party, to take Inouye's vacant seat in Washington. Schatz described himself as "honored" and "humbled' by the position. But Inouye—before dying of respiratory complications last week—had asked that Abercrombie choose US Rep. Colleen Hanabusa. Hanabusa was in contention along with other state officials, but Abercrombie picked Schatz after hearing from more than 12 candidates this morning. "Sen. Inouye conveyed his final wish to Gov. Abercrombie," said Inouye's chief of staff, the AP reports. "While we are very disappointed that it was not honored, it was the governor's decision to make." Schatz, 40, will serve at least until 2014, when voters will elect a senator to complete Inouye's six-year term ending in 2016. Schatz said he will be sworn in tomorrow so he can join Democrats on votes regarding the fiscal cliff.