This Saturday is Primary Election Day.
Usually around this time there is a plethora of TV, radio and print advertisements for candidates seeking your vote and more. Interestingly, there has been a dearth of ads, proving spending is somewhat down overall. However, there are two specific races where cash is being spent.
In the 1st Congressional district race, substantial spending is apparent. And let's be honest. Saturday's vote will determine the winner and either incumbent Rep. Ed Case will return or State Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole will stage an upset and become the new Congressman representing District 1. I know this is a shock and surprise but, yes, both are of course Democrats. No intentional dis but the Republican Party of Hawai‘i is not offering a competitive candidate so the general election will be a simple formality.
The comparison of spending for the 1st Congressional district and the 2nd Congressional district is no comparison.
Yet.
This is an interesting race that will come down to November. Rep. Jill Tokuda, the Democrat incumbent, is facing off against GOP State Sen. Brenton Awa and their resource investments will ramp up the day after the primary results. The general election is November 3, which will then be 86 days right after the primary. However, this race holds great interest in that the candidates are polar opposites. Rep. Tokuda has incumbency, name recognition and a D next to her name. But she espouses less content and more MAGA invocations and criticisms. Her anti-Trump rhetoric seems gleaned from social media posts and DNC talking points rather than major realistic proposals.
Sen. Awa also has some differentiations than a traditional elected member of the GOP.
During his first term, Awa promoted policies to prevent foreigners from purchasing land in Hawai‘i in an effort to keep local residents from being "priced out of paradise." He was also instrumental in developing a tree planting program featuring ‘ulu and mountain apples to help feed people in and around Kahalu‘u and he is also known for a similar program in Haleiwa replacing the much-maligned coconut tree population devastated by the coconut rhinoceros beetle. Finally, Sen. Awa is not a sycophant regarding President Trump. He articulates his differences but embraces similarities.
Again, this will be a race to watch.
And, of course, the race for Lieutenant Governor.
Strap yourself in; it's gonna be a bumpy ride.
I referred to campaign spending as somewhat limited for the upcoming primary election. However, there is no doubt that Pacific Resource Partnership representing the Hawaii Carpenter's Union via the super PAC (Political Action Committee) For a Better Tomorrow and a subsidiary super PAC entitled The Hawaii Carpenters Market Recovery Program Fund PAC and others have dominated campaign donations.
For a Better Tomorrow alone has raised more than $7 million with most of those funds derived from dues paid to the Hawai‘i Carpenters Union. Of that $7 million plus, according to Campaign Spending Commission records, $2 million of the $5.2 million spent has gone to LG candidate Mayor Derek Kawakami. Further examination of the CSC report shows that of the Top 10 campaign donors eight are unions or union associations.
You may ask why. Why so much money in politics from unions?
The 1st quarter of 2026 there was $2.09 billion dollars in construction spending.
That's only in the first three months of this year.
There has to be a bit of congratulations to organized labor in Hawai‘i.
Over the generations, labor has supplanted the Big 5, ridden the coattails of the 1954 Democrat Revolution, dominated all aspects of city and county elections (rendered non-partisan to give the illusion of bipartisanship), defeated the first governor of Hawai‘i, Republican Bill Quinn, fought against Republican Linda Lingle and despite her narrow loss in 1998 to Gov. Ben Cayetano, she went on to defeat in 2002 Lt. Governor Mazie Hirono in a spirited battle. Then, interestingly, the Democrats fielded perhaps the weakest challenge possible to Gov. Lingle's reelection: State Sen. Randy Iwase and State Sen. Malama Soloman. In searching for explanations, the conclusions ranged from the conspiratorial to the incredulous. Did organized labor and the Democrat party allow Gov. Lingle's second term because she was unbeatable or was there another reason? One thing is certain. The democrats have dominated the fifth floor and The Big Square Building ever since.
There are other top of mind thoughts headed into this election cycle.
Please allow me to ask you the following:
- Are you a supporter of mail-in ballots, or do you prefer manned precincts and voting in person?
- Do you believe unions hold too much power and influence over elections, or is it OK?
- Do you believe political changes need to be made, or is the status quo just fine?
- Who would you like to see as a candidate for office in future elections?
- Should campaigns be funded publicly?
- Are you registered to vote?
- Do you vote? Why or why not?
- Are your priority concerns taken seriously by candidates and incumbents?
- Can you name your city council member, your state representative and your state senator?
- Do you trust politicians in Hawai‘i?
I ask because these are fundamental questions that should rather easily elicit an answer.
I would appreciate any feedback, and your responses may appear in a follow-up piece.
Reach out to rickhamada@aol.com
Mahalo plenty.
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