Former state Sen. Jill Tokuda has switched gears and will now challenge U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele for his seat this year.
Tokuda was one of several candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor in August’s primary election.
However, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that Tokuda filed papers to seek the seat held by Kahele, who is said to be mulling a campaign for governor.
Tokuda served in the state Senate from 2006 to 2018, when she decided to seek the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor. She narrowly lost the race to Josh Green.
Kahele was first elected to Congress in 2020. He has come under heavy scrutiny recently because of his absence from Washington and his use of proxy voting, which allows him to vote on measures without being in the House chambers.
