Gov. Josh Green secures 2nd term in Hawaii’s largest gubernatorial victory ever

Gov. Josh Green won a resounding reelection victory Tuesday as he and his running mate, outgoing Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami, defeated the Republican ticket by a record-setting 50 percentage points.

The margin over the Republican ticket of Gary Cordery and Daniel Anthony is the largest gubernatorial victory in Hawaii, topping Gov. David Ige’s 2018 reelection when he won by about 29 percentage points.

“The people of Hawaii have sent a clear message that they want us to build on the progress we have made together over the last four years — building affordable housing, reducing homelessness and working to bring down the cost of living with meaningful actions like cutting taxes for the middle class,” Green told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “To the people of our state, I want to say that I hear you, and I am going to keep working my heart out for you every day for the next four years on the issues you care about the most.”

The results will extend Democratic control of the governor’s office in a state where the party has dominated statewide elections for decades.

Green, who served as lieutenant governor under Ige, was first elected governor in 2022 with Sylvia Luke as his running mate. They defeated the Republican ticket of Duke Aiona and Seaula Jr. Tupai by about 26 percentage points.

Green has made lowering Hawaii’s cost of living the central focus of his second-term agenda, pledging to protect middle-class tax relief, expand affordable housing and reduce electricity bills. He has argued that high housing, healthcare, food and energy costs are forcing local families to leave the islands.

He plans to continue cutting red tape to speed up housing construction and expand workforce and affordable housing. Green said his administration helped approve more than 10,000 low-income housing units and accelerated nearly 7,000 affordable units statewide during his first term.

Green also has pledged to expand kauhale villages, which provide small homes and support services for people experiencing homelessness. He has described homelessness as a health crisis and said the villages connect residents with stability, mental healthcare and addiction treatment.

Lowering energy costs and protecting essential services from federal funding cuts are also priorities. Green said he would use state resources to help preserve healthcare coverage and other programs for vulnerable residents.

Green also has pledged stronger ethics enforcement and government transparency amid renewed scrutiny after a federal corruption investigation involving Luke, who took an unpaid leave in April and later dropped her reelection bid after being indicted on bribery and campaign finance charges.

Kawakami, who has served as Kauai’s mayor since 2018, will now take on the statewide role and succeed Luke. He previously served on the Kauai County Council and in the state House of Representatives. Kauai County Council Chair Mel Rapozo will succeed him as mayor, taking office Dec. 1.

“I am incredibly honored and grateful to the people of Hawaii for putting their trust in me,” Kawakami said in a statement to the Star-Advertiser. “Serving others has always been a passion, but running a campaign was not something we had planned when we started the year.

“I’m grateful to Kauai and Niihau for allowing me the privilege of being your mayor these past eight years. I look forward to representing our county and all of our rural communities across our state. I hope to show our youth that you can be from a small town and do big things. We’re excited to be on this journey alongside Gov. Green, first lady and their team, and we look forward to getting to work to lower costs and make life better for the people of Hawaii.”

During his campaign, Kawakami said he viewed the lieutenant governor’s office as a position that supports the governor’s priorities while taking on initiatives delegated by the governor. The office also provides administrative support and serves as acting governor when the governor is out of state.

He also emphasized identifying underutilized state and county land near existing infrastructure as a way to increase housing opportunities for local residents, as well as expanding early childhood education initiatives to help working parents.

Anthony acknowledged during the campaign that defeating Green and Kawakami would take a “miracle,” citing the state’s strong Democratic majority and Green’s popularity as an incumbent.

Green entered the general election with a 64% approval rating among registered Hawaii voters, according to a Morning Consult ranking that placed him third among governors nationally.

He also serves as chair of the Western Governors’ Association, a role he assumed on July 1. Hawaii is scheduled to host the association’s winter conference in Ko Olina in December, giving Green a prominent role in bringing governors from across the West to the state.

For more coverage, visit https://www.staradvertiser.com/election.