Familiar faces Kai Kahele, Clayton Hee re-emerge for Hawaii’s primary elections

Two familiar faces in Hawaii politics, former U.S. Representative Kai Kahele and former state senator Clayton Hee, are making a comeback as they gear up for the upcoming primary elections later this summer.

Hee is running on the Democratic ticket to become a state senator for a rural district on the North Shore of Oahu on August 10. If successful, he’ll face Republican state senator Brenton Awa in a race that promises to be one of the year’s most compelling in one of Hawaii’s rare swing districts.

“It’s uncommon to see both a strong Republican and a strong Democrat competing in a district that could swing either way,” Colin Moore, a public policy professor at the University of Hawaii, told USA TODAY.

Moore explained that voters would have to choose between two candidates known for their independent streaks and no-nonsense reputations.

More: Hawaii’s election season is here. What to expect from House, mayoral races

Kai Kahele, a controversial former congressman and unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate, is now running to head the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA), which advocates for Native Hawaiian rights and welfare, including financial aid, land management, policy development, and community engagement.

During his time in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2021 to 2023, Kahele continued to work as a commercial pilot for Hawaiian Airlines. He was accused of breaking U.S. House proxy voting rules by allegedly staying in Hawaii for his gubernatorial campaign.

Ultimately, the Office of Congressional Ethics found no evidence of wrongdoing and Kahele left office to run for governor in 2022.

“OHA, like many other agencies in this state, has struggled, at times, with trust, transparency, fiscal accountability, internal controversy, dysfunction, and relevance,” Kahele said in a recent campaign ad. “But despite its shortcomings, I truly believe OHA is the institution with the greatest potential to make a difference in the lives of Native Hawaiians.”

In other races, veteran state Reps. Gene Ward, R-Hawaii Kai-Kalama Valley and Della Au Belatti, D-Makiki-Punchbowl, are assured of reelection, being the sole candidates in their districts.

In contrast, state Reps. Lauren Matsumoto, R-Mililani-Waipio Acres-Mililani Mauka, and Kanani Souza, R-Kapolei-Makakilo, face single Republican challengers in their respective primaries.

State Rep. May Mizuno, D-Kamehameha Heights-Kalihi Valley, was appointed by Governor Josh Green to fill her late husband’s seat. She is contending with two Democratic challengers in her bid for reelection.

State senator Maile Shimabukuro, D-Nanakuli-Waianae-Makaha, resigned, prompting both Republican and Democratic candidates to vie for her seat, including Democratic U.S. Representative Cedric Gates, who vacated his position to seek a role in the U.S. Senate.

Jeremy Yurow is a politics reporting fellow based in Hawaii for the USA TODAY Network. You can reach him at [email protected] or on X, formerly Twitter @JeremyYurow

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Hawaii's elections see return of veteran politicians Kahele, Hee