State Sen. Kai Kahele has won the Democratic nomination to represent Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District in Saturday's primary election.
The seat is currently held by U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a Democrat who decided not to run for reelection so she could focus on her presidential campaign, which was ultimately unsuccessful.
Kahele faced three opponents, none with prior elected experience.
FILE - In this Nov. 15, 2018 file photo, Rep.-elect Ed Case, D-Hi., walks to member-elect briefings on Capitol Hill in Washington. Case is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination for the 1st Congressional District seat in Hawaii. (AP PhotoCarolyn Kaster)
The 46-year-old said it's been a long journey since he launched his campaign in January 2019 and it's exciting to get to this point.
“I’m looking forward to hitting the campaign trail again and marching to the general," Kahele said in an interview.
Kahele had such an advantage over his competitors that he spent the past four months on active duty in the Hawaii National Guard helping the state respond to the coronavirus pandemic. He was not able to conduct any campaign activities during that time.
FILE - In this Feb. 8, 2020, file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, speaks during the McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Dinner in Manchester, N.H. Kai Kahele is favored to win the Democratic Party’s nomination to represent Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District in the primary election. The seat is currently held by Gabbard, a Democrat who decided not to run for reelection so she could focus on her presidential campaign, which was ultimately unsuccessful. (AP PhotoMary Altaffer, File)
“At times it’s been challenging because I wanted to be involved. We put so much time and effort into the campaign before I left. But at the same time, I was confident in the team that I had built and we had built together," Kahele said.
Kahele has served in the state Senate since 2016, starting from when he was appointed to fill the remainder of his father’s term after he died. He was elected for the first time later that year.
He works as a pilot for Hawaiian Airlines and flies C-17 jets as a lieutenant colonel in the National Guard. He’s married to a Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant and has three daughters.
Nine people are vying for the Republican nomination for the seat, which covers suburban Honolulu and Hawaii’s more rural islands. Kahele is a heavy favorite to win the seat in November in heavily Democratic Hawaii.
If he wins in November, Kahele will be the second Native Hawaiian in Congress since statehood. The first was the late Sen. Daniel Akaka, who left office in 2013.
He’s an advocate of “Medicare for All” and supports the idea of a “Green New Deal” to address climate change and help Hawaii meet its clean energy goals.
With Saturday’s election, Hawaii becomes the fifth state to conduct an election entirely by mail after the state enacted a vote-by-mail law last year. Hawaii joins Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Utah in holding all-mail elections. In Hawaii, voters have also had the option to cast ballots in-person at a handful voter service centers over the past two weeks. But the overwhelming majority have used mail.
Elections officials mailed ballots to voters in mid-July. They will count votes received by 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Incumbent U.S. Rep. Ed Case won the Democratic nomination for the 1st Congressional District seat after he ran unopposed. Case was first elected to this seat in 2018. He represented the 2nd Congressional District from 2002 to 2007 and served in the state House from 1994 to 2002.
The Republican primary for the seat, which represents urban Honolulu, has five candidates.