Stay up to date with coverage of Hawaii and the national elections. Hawaii Republicans lost one state representative in the 76-state legislature early Wednesday morning as the first Election Day numbers were finally released, while also seeing several Democratic freshman representatives win elections who will vote on laws affecting the election . states when the next hearing will take place in January.
The Republican Party had increased its representation at the Capitol in the 2022 midterm elections — mostly from West Oahu — to a total of two senators in the 25-member Senate and six Republicans in the 51-member House of Representatives.
But some voters in Oahu’s West Side House District 39 instead chose Democratic challenger Corey Rosenlee, 51 — who teaches social studies and history at James Campbell High School, who resigned after six years as head of the influential party. Hawaii State Teachers Association.
Ahead of the election, Rosenlee previously told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that he hopes to push for tax credits for child care, expanding universal child care and paid family leave.
He called public education and helping students – and their families – afford a college education “a top priority of mine.”
Rosenlee wants to make tuition at one of the University of Hawaii’s seven community colleges free for all Hawaiian students while helping high school students apply for financial aid and, most importantly, even free college tuition — especially for students who are the first in their families to register for higher education.
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Rosenlees challenged first-term incumbent Rep. Elijah Pierick (R, Royal Kunia-Waipahu-Honouliuli) for the second straight election cycle.
Pierick, an often divisive and evangelical Christian, lost to Rosenlee by 478 votes: 3,919 for Rosenlee versus 3,441 for Pierick.
All 51 members of the House of Representatives and 13 of the 25 senators were up for election this year.
Three other House Republicans from the Leeward side of Oahu — and first-term Republican Sen. Brenton Awa (Kaneohe-Laie-Mokuleia) — successfully pushed back against strong Democratic opposition.
Awa told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser early Wednesday morning that he, like other in-person voters on Election Day, has opted to show up at Kapolei Hale starting Tuesday evening, rather than vote early or vote by mail, which remains overwhelmingly popular around the world. the islands.
Awa waited in line for five hours beginning Tuesday evening, representing the last voter in line at the scheduled closing of Honolulu’s so-called voter service centers at 7 p.m., as voters from both Kapolei Hale and Honolulu Hale continued to line up and stand throughout the day and night. held the release of statewide voting results as required by state law.
Awa received 9,001 votes, compared to Democratic challenger Ben Shafter’s 8,699 votes to represent Senate District 23, which includes parts of Kaneohe, further north along the Windward Side and across Oahu’s North Shore.
Shafer was backed by former Democratic politicians and some of Hawaii’s labor unions.
Awa, a former television journalist, represents a different and independent breed of Hawaiian politician who does not accept political donations or gifts and declined to campaign or host political events in his second, successful run for the Senate this election cycle.
He favors state-backed financing for all of Hawaii’s political candidates, which proponents argue will encourage another generation of candidates put off by political fundraising, reduce their dependence on big-money donors and reduce the temptation for political corruption.
During the last term, Awa was often the lone dissenter in the Senate and remained locked in a Republican political battle with Senator Kurt Fevealla over who would lead the two-member, Republican caucus in the Senate.
Fevella (R, Ewa Beach-Ocean Pointe-Iroquois Point) was ineligible this cycle.
Across the Capitol in the House of Representatives, two other incumbent Republican representatives from West Oahu, David Alcos III and Diamond Garcia, won reelection.
Alcos (R, Ocean Pointe-Barbers Point) defeated Navy veteran John Clark III by 4,020 votes in early election results Wednesday morning, compared to 3,236 for Clark to represent House District 41.
And Garcia (Ewa-Kapolei) defeated Democratic challenger Anthony Paris with 3,315 votes, compared to 2,927 for Paris to represent House District 42.
Rosenlee joins the first Democratic representatives in the new class of freshman members of the House of Representatives. Shirley Ann Templo, (D, Kalihi-Kalihi Kai-Hickam Village), Ikaika Hussey, (D, Kamehameha Heights-Kalihi Valley), and Mike Lee, (D, Kailua-Kaneohe Bay).
Lee’s victory suggested Kailua has turned left after decades of Republican representation in the House of Representatives under former Rep. Cynthia Thielen.
