LIHU‘E — Rep. Dee Morikawa is still the state representative for Kaua‘i’s District 16, from Koloa to the Kekaha, plus Ni‘ihau. On Tuesday, she won re-election by a wide margin over her Republican challenger, restaurant owner Troy Trujillo. “This is
LIHU‘E — Rep. Dee Morikawa is still the state representative for Kaua‘i’s District 16, from Koloa to the Kekaha, plus Ni‘ihau. On Tuesday, she won re-election by a wide margin over her Republican challenger, restaurant owner Troy Trujillo.
“This is a position that was meant for me,” Morikawa said of her victory Tuesday. “After serving the public for 38 years, it’s ingrained in my body to continue working for the people. This is the job I can do and have the most impact on people’s lives because Kaua‘i is such a small island and the laws are more O‘ahu-centric, and I want to make sure our islands are protected.”
After final results, she received 6,049 votes, while Trujillo had 1,581 votes.
Morikawa said she plans to work to repeal Act 55 that established the PLDC (Public Land Development Corporation).
“It’s too broad,” Morikawa said. “I’m not going to support it as is.”
While there is no guarantee of the committees she will serve on, Morikawa said she hopes to return to her appointment on the Health Committee. She also served on the Human Services and Hawaiian Affairs committees.
“There’s so much we’ve done here with grants,” she said of working with the state department of health on various projects.
In addition, Morikawa said she is looking forward to implementing Obamacare.
“We have to organize the House all over again,” she said, but noted that she appreciates what she has learned so far. One of her main goals is to make sure the health of her constituents on the Westside of the island are not compromised from the use of pesticides.
“We needed a change on the Westside,” said Brycen Hiraoka, who served as Morikawa’s campaign manager. “There is strong grassroots support for her.”
Iris Venzon supported Morikawa because they are both members of HGEA (Hawai‘i Government Employees Association).
“She’s like us. She just helps the working class,” Venzon said.
Morikawa first became state representative in 2010 when she easily bested Republican Phil Sterker in the General Election, by receiving 73.3 percent of the votes. But to get there, she earned her Democratic ticket by surprisingly beating incumbent Roland Sagum in the 2010 Primary Election.
There are 51 districts for the state House of Representatives. Prior to the elections, only eight representatives were Republicans and the remaining 43 were Democrats. After Tuesday’s election, there will be 46 Democrats and five Republicans in the House.
