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Former Hawai‘i state senator Jill Tokuda (D) defeated political newcomer Joseph Akana (R) in the race for Hawai‘i’s 2nd congressional district Tuesday, filling the seat held by outgoing Rep. Kai Kahele (D), who had been the only Native Hawaiian member of Congress.
Tokuda ran a platform focused on improving the quality of Hawai‘i’s health care and mental health services, especially increasing access for rural communities and neighboring islands. She has promised more affordable housing and campaigned for gun safety.
“Our children, families, and neighbors deserve to feel safe,” Tokuda told the Honolulu Civil Beat ahead of the election. “As a mom, living in neighborhoods free of fear of gun violence should not be negotiable.”
She has also pledged to champion legislation that would lower the blood quantum requirements for beneficiaries of Hawaiian homelands.
Akana, a Native Hawaiian who served 10 years as an intelligence analyst in the U.S. Air Force, drove a campaign that vowed to crack down on crime and inflation but faced criticism for previously claiming that former President Donald Trump won the 2020 election.
Tokuda, 46, campaigned as a candidate for lieutenant governor this cycle until Kahele announced his bid for governor and forfeited his seat in the House. She also ran for lieutenant governor in 2018 but lost to current Lt. Gov. and Hawai‘i governor-elect Josh Green (D).
Tokuda received endorsements from current lawmakers and progressive leadership including Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington), and Kahele. Kahele, who came third in the Democratic primary for Hawai‘i governor, donated $2,900 to her campaign this cycle, according to filing records.
Tokuda, who is fourth-generation Japanese American, was first elected to represent the 24th state senatorial district—encompassing Kāne‘ohe, Kailua, He‘eia, ‘Āhuimanu, and Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i—in 2006.
During her time in the state senate, Tokuda helped expand access to publicly-funded preschools and chaired the powerful Ways and Means Committee, where she oversaw Hawai‘i’s budget.
Born in the district she would later represent, Tokuda currently serves as director for the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center, where she has focused on expanding the facility on Maui.
She also already has roots in D.C.—Tokuda is close with Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai‘i), whom she worked for, and describes the senator as a “political mother.”
Asian Americans make up more than half of eligible voters in Hawai‘i—the only state where an ethnic group besides non-Hispanic white voters comprises the majority, according to Pew Research Center. Health care and crime, two of Tokuda’s main policy priorities, were top issues among Asian American voters this election cycle.
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