Green, the state’s current lieutenant governor, easily defeated former first lady Vicky Cayetano and Kaiali’I Kahele, who decided to run for governor instead of a second term in the US House. Green, with a lei of yellow and purple flowers and green leaves piled up to his neck, alternated between punching the air and giving the shaka signal to a raucous crowd of supporters at his victory party. “By November, we will win the governorship and move Hawaii forward,” he told the cheering crowd. In the general election he will face former Republican Lt. Gov. Duke Iona, who defeated mixed martial arts champion BJ Penn in his party’s primary. In an interview with Hawaii News Now, Aiona said his supporters “trusted in my ability to lead the state and I’m really, really thankful and grateful for that.” Green has served as second in command for the past four years to Hawaii Gov. David Ige, who has already served two terms and is not eligible for re-election. The winner of the Democratic primary is favored to win the general election in the liberal state. Many voters said Hawaii’s high housing costs were a top issue for them. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the median price of a single-family home exceeded $1 million in Honolulu, Maui and Kauai counties. To address the housing shortage, Green said he would issue an executive order to eliminate red tape and streamline building approvals and enforce existing laws to shut down illegal vacation rentals. Aona said he would eliminate the state Land Use Commission, which he blamed for slowing residential development. Herbert Rowland, a construction worker in Oahu, said he likes Green’s plans to address Hawaii’s housing problem and homelessness. “I’m from this island, I’ve been here all my life. I don’t want my kids to leave this island because it’s too expensive and they can’t find a home,” Rowland said recently while holding a Green campaign sign and waving at passing cars in Honolulu. Aiona’s supporter Viola Alipio said she believes it will address the rising crime in the state. Earlier in his career, Aiona served as a Family Court judge and as a District Court judge. He pioneered the Hawaii Drug Court program, which offers rehabilitation to non-violent offenders as an alternative to prison. “I know him very well. I know his values — everything is in line with my values. Family, honesty, transparency,” she said at a recent Aiona sign event in Kailua. Green was a state senator and representative before serving as lieutenant governor. He was a doctor in rural areas on the Big Island before entering politics. He continued to work part-time as a physician while in the state legislature and as lieutenant governor. Green gained an audience during the COVID-19 pandemic for his explanations of infection rates and hospital care trends and capacity. The state’s largest unions have endorsed his candidacy in the primary, including the Hawaii Public Employees Union and the Hawaii State Teachers Association. The fight heated up when Kahele and Cayetano disputed the income Green received while serving as deputy manager from a limited liability company called Green Health International LLC. Green, who continued his side job as an emergency room doctor while he was a deputy commander, said the money was for work he did as a doctor. Kahele has drawn attention this year for his own side job as a pilot for Hawaiian Airlines and his heavy use of proxy voting in Congress. Like everyone who has voted by proxy, he submitted a required letter certifying that he was “unable to physically vote” at the Capitol. It cited “the ongoing public health emergency.” Greene was born in Kingston, New York and raised in Pittsburgh. He moved to Hawaii with the National Health Service Corps in 2000. Kahele’s decision to run for governor opened up his congressional seat representing rural Oahu and the Neighbor Islands. Former state Sen. Jill Tokuda defeated state Rep. Patrick Pichana Branco for the Democratic nomination for this seat, Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District. Among Republicans, former US Air Force intelligence analyst and businessman Joe Akana defeated business owner Joseph Webster. Hawaii is a vote-by-mail state, so voters began mailing their ballots and dropping them into drop boxes on the islands late last month. Election officials in each county set up a few voter service centers for those registering to vote at the last minute or voting in person. In the 1st Congressional District, incumbent U.S. Rep. Ed Case defeated attorney and political newcomer Sergio Alcubgia in the Democratic primary. Case in the general election will face former US Navy SEAL Conrad Kress, who defeated two other candidates to win the Republican primary. In the U.S. Senate race, U.S. Sen. Brian Sachs defeated Democratic primary challenger Steve Tatai, a conflict resolution consultant. Tataii made an unsuccessful bid for Congress in 2016. In the Republican primary for the US Senate, state Rep. Bob McDermott beat five other candidates.
