Election

Kauaʻi County Mayor Derek Kawakami has announced he will run for lieutenant governor, challenging current Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke for her spot on the fifth floor of the Hawaiʻi State Capitol.

Cochran was elected to her seat in 2022 and is up for reelection this year. Her move to the other side of the aisle increases the House Republicans’ numbers to 10.

Campaign finance has been a topic of interest this legislative session. HPR’s Ashley Mizuo reports on how allegations of an unknown lawmaker accepting $35,000 in a paper bag have impacted the Legislature.

In his final address as Kauaʻi County mayor, Derek Kawakami thanked residents for trusting him over the last seven years and celebrated his accomplishments, while also pointing out areas that still need attention.

Senators advanced a measure Tuesday that would allow elected officials to be charged with a misdemeanor if they're found to have failed to report bribery.

The coalition has three demands for state lawmakers: pass this legislative session’s good government bills, end private campaign financing, and create a new, comprehensive public funding system.

If the three-page Senate Bill 2466 becomes law, that position “may only be terminated for cause,” sparing that position from politically motivated attacks.

House Rep. Daniel Holt resigned from his position Friday after accepting a new position as special assistant to the chair of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

A state proposal could automatically register eligible residents to vote in elections — unless they explicitly “opt out” of that opportunity.

Hawaiʻi Democratic Party Chair Derek Turbin spoke to The Conversation's Catherine Cruz about the current political landscape.