Like the state Senate, the House will see at least a few changes in the lineup. The Aug. 11 primary election includes races for a total of 26 of 51 seats. In 10 districts, voters won’t cast ballots for state House candidates until the Nov. 6 general election. And in 15 districts candidates are running unopposed for a two-year term.
On Oahu, 14 House seats have contested races on the primary ballot. Here’s the first in a three-part listing of the Star-Advertiser’s endorsements.
>> District 20 (Palolo-St. Louis Heights-Kaimuki): Republicans Julia Allen and Brendan (Hector) Hand square off. Of the two, Allen, who has worked at the state Capitol for several years for the Senate minority, gets the nod as Hand has been unresponsive on the issues. Allen, who also is a member of her neighborhood board, has signed a “Taxpayer Protection Pledge” to oppose all tax increases.
Among her top issues: establishing more transparency in the budget process, and making cuts to state Department of Education “bureaucracy” while prioritizing decision-making at the school level.
The winner here will face incumbent Calvin Say.
>> District 23 (Manoa-Punahou-Moiliili): Isaac Choy has chosen not to seek re-election, thereby setting the stage for a winner-take-all contest for five Democratic candidates. Among them is Dale Kobayashi, who ran against Choy as a political newcomer in 2016. For the past three years, Kobayashi, an accountant (retired from financial securities markets) and son of Honolulu City Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi, has served as chairman of the Manoa Neighborhood Board.
The other candidates are Andrew Garrett, an executive with nonprofit Healthcare Association of Hawaii and member of the Malama Manoa board of directors; Benton Rodden, an educator; Elton Fukumoto, a former English and legal writing professor, and legislative aide to four state lawmakers; and Dylan Armstrong, an urban planner in private practice and Oahu County Democrats’ vice chair.
Kobayashi, Garrett and Benton rank kupuna care and supporting the University of Hawaii (the UH-Manoa flagship campus is in the district) as top priorities. Kobayashi maintains that UH fiscal management at the administrative level can be cleaned up without compromising educational programs and research capabilities.
All the candidates could make a positive difference in the district as well as the state. But our endorsement goes to Kobayashi for his leadership and contributions to the community.
>> District 29 (Chinatown-Iwilei-Kalihi): In a winner-take-all contest between two millennial candidates, incumbent Daniel Holt faces James Logue, an eligibility worker at the state Department of Human Services. Holt won his seat in 2016, after House Judiciary Chairman Karl Rhoads opted to vacate it to run for the state Senate. Previously, Holt, the son of former state Sen. Milton Holt, served as state Senate assistant sergeant-at-arms.
This year, Holt has introduced 10 bills, ranging from establishing automatic voter registration tied to driver’s license application to expanding the low-income tax credit. Challenger Logue, a combat veteran of the U.S. Army Military Police Corps, has served as a legislative aide at the state House and as secretary of the Oahu County Democratic Committee, Democratic Party of Hawaii.
Both candidates appear to be well versed on community concerns, such as ridding streets of abandoned vehicles and reducing crime-related problems. In a close call, Holt, whose legislative feet are now wet, gets the nod.
>> District 30 (Sand Island-Kalihi-Airport): Vying for this seat are incumbent Romy Cachola, a longtime legislator and former City Council member, and attorney-journalist Ernesto (Sonny) Ganaden, who making his first run for office.
Both candidates point to obvious-but-thorny priorities, such expanding the inventory of affordable housing; reducing the shortage of teachers in public schools; and ensuring that health care services are accessible to all. In the interest of bringing a sensible, fresh voice to the lineup of lawmakers, Ganaden, an instructor in the Ethnic Studies Department at UH-Manoa, gets the nod.
The winner here will face Republican Mar Velasco.
>> District 33 (Halawa-Aiea-Newtown): The Democratic winner-take-all race here is a re-match between incumbent Sam Kong, who squeaked-out a win in 2016 primary over Tracy Arakaki. A third candidate David Matsushita has been unresponsive on the issues.
Both Kong, the former cab business owner-operator, and Arakaki, a small business owner and independent television producer, have deep roots in community service. And both assign top priority to addressing aging infrastructure, traffic-flow snags and maximizing funds for teacher pay and other classroom needs. The nod goes to Kong, who now has the experience of two terms behind him.
TOMORROW: Contested primary races in state House Districts 36-44.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misidentified the number of terms that candidate Sam Kong has served in the state House. Kong is now wrapping up his second term.
