Ty Cullen


Ty J.K. Cullen is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Hawaii House of Representatives since January 16, 2013 representing District 39. Cullen served in the District 41 seat from 2011 to 2013.

Education

Cullen earned a BA in sociology and political science and a MPA from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Elections

In 2008, Cullen initially challenged incumbent Democratic Representative Jon Karamatsu for the District 41 seat in the September 20, 2008 Democratic primary, but lost. When Karamatsu ran for Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii and left the District 41 seat open in 2010, Cullen won the four-way September 18, 2010 Democratic primary with 1,658 votes, and won the November 2, 2010 general election with 4,510 votes against Republican nominee Carl Wong.
Redistricting in 2012 meant that Cullen was redistricted to District 39, where Representative Marcus Oshiro was redistricted to District 46. Cullen and Carl Wong, his Republican challenger from 2010, were both unopposed for their August 11, 2012 primaries for Oshiro's former seat. Cullen won the November 6, 2012 general election with 5,272 votes against Wong.