HONOLULU — On Saturday, U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele announced that he is a candidate for Hawai‘i governor.
HONOLULU — On Saturday, U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele announced that he is a candidate for Hawai‘i governor.
Joining Kahele in the Aug. 13 Democratic primary race is Lt. Gov. Josh Green, who officially filed papers Saturday, and former first lady Vicky Cayetano. Former Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell quit the contest Wednesday, citing a lack of fundraising and momentum.
“We need to restore the trust in government and make our government more accountable to the people. And with courage, we can make this change,” Kahele’s campaign website says.
If elected, Kahele would be the second Native Hawaiian to serve as governor. John Waihee, who served from 1986 to 1994, was the first.
Kahele is a combat veteran, Hawaiian Airlines pilot and commissioned officer in the Hawai‘i Air National Guard.
Kahele did not say whether he would resign from Congress before his term is up in early January, and has recently received criticism for using proxy votes on all but five of this year’s 125 roll calls.
He is among 303 lawmakers of both parties — more than two-thirds of the House — who have cast votes by proxy at least once this year, according to an Associated Press look at records that reflect how partisan divisions over voting from somewhere else have moderated.
Green is ER doctor in a small clinic on Hawai‘i Island. He served in the state House and state Senate from 2004 to 2018.
Cayetano is the wife of former Gov. Ben Cayetano, the state’s first Filipino governor. She is also a successful Honolulu businesswoman.
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Associated Press and Civil Beat contributed to this story.
