John Mizuno wants his old job back. Not the one as the governor’s point person on homelessness, but as a state representative of House District 29.
He represented that district, which includes Kamehameha Heights, Kalihi Valley and parts of Kalihi, for 17 years.
He’s challenging incumbent Ikaika Hussey, who held that seat for nearly two years after defeating his wife, May Mizuno, in 2024.
This makes for an interesting race because both candidates can be considered incumbents, according to Colin Moore, a political scientist at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
“That creates a complicated dynamic because normally we think of incumbents as having a big advantage, and of course they do. But in this case, you have a longtime Rep. John Mizuno with tremendous networks and name recognition in that district. … which makes it much more difficult to predict who's likely to win this race.”
New School vs. Old School
It’s unclear why Mizuno wants his House seat back, and he couldn’t be reached for an interview after multiple attempts. According to candidate surveys, Mizuno points to his time in the Legislature as a lawmaker and vice speaker as a reason to vote for him.
Mizuno resigned from his legislative position in 2024 to work as Gov. Josh Green’s homelessness coordinator. He stepped down the following year after publicly criticizing the state-funded tiny homes village.
“I can’t speculate exactly on why he wants his job back, other than I think for a lot of longtime serving legislators, this is a huge part of their identity, this is what they love,” Moore said. “But it is an unusual situation. You don’t often see lawmakers leave and then try to come back. Especially if they weren't defeated.”
Hussey is a former labor organizer for Unite Here Local 5, a union representing hospitality, workers and nurses. He described himself as “the new kid on the block.”
The Democratic candidates share similar priorities, such as addressing parking. According to candidate surveys, Mizuno said the biggest issues facing his district are crime, homelessness and high cost of living.
For Hussey, he said it’s affordability. One way he wants to address it is by looking at public investments in solar and geothermal energy to reduce the cost of electricity.
“Basically, having the state of Hawai‘i with some of the capital that we've that we manage in other accounts, in like, for instance, in our investments in the U.S. Treasury, to take a portion of that out,” he said. “And to use that money to build a network of solar farms and even geothermal here on O‘ahu, where it's really necessary.”
“Essentially, do the upfront capital investment and then reap the rewards of decades of essentially free electricity and then pass that savings on to our people,” he continued.
The district representing urban Honolulu consists of a working-class community with immigrants and longtime local families.
Hussey has defeated a Mizuno before after unseating May Mizuno in 2024. But this race could come down to name recognition and campaigning.
Money race
Moore said that Hussey represents a younger generation and Mizuno has been involved in politics for years.
“They're both strong campaigners,” Moore said. “Ikaika Hussey is a strong campaigner. John Mizuno is a strong campaigner. I mean, he didn't win this district term after term because he didn't know how to campaign.”
For the election period, Mizuno reported raising $19,880 and spending $74,042. His campaign in one month reported spending $23,000 on mailers.
For Hussey, he raised $8,070 during the election period and has spent $5,331.
The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican candidate Tess Abalos in the general election.
