Kaiali'i Kahele

Kaiali'i Kahele

Nonpartisan

Office of Hawaiian Affairs Hawaii Island Resident Trustee

Tenure

2024 - Present

Term ends

2028

Years in position

0

Predecessor

Mililani Trask

Prior offices

Hawaii State Senate District 1

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U.S. House Hawaii District 2

Successor: Jill Tokuda

Predecessor: Tulsi Gabbard

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Elections and appointments

Last elected

August 10, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

University of Hawaii, Manoa

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Air Force

Service / branch

U.S. Air National Guard

Personal

Birthplace

Hilo, Hawaii

Profession

Nonprofit executive

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign YouTube

Personal LinkedIn

Kaiali'i Kahele is a member of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, representing Hawaii Island Resident Trustee. He assumed office on November 5, 2024. His current term ends on November 7, 2028.

Kahele won election to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to represent Hawaii Island Resident Trustee outright in the primary on August 10, 2024, after the general election was canceled.

Biography

Kahele was born in Hilo, Hawaii. He graduated from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa with a bachelor's degree in education in 1998. He became a member of the Hawaii Air National Guard in 1999 and served as a pilot in Iraq and Afghanistan. Following deployment, Kahele continued to serve as a lieutenant colonel. Kahele has also worked as a teacher, nonprofit executive, and commercial pilot.

Elections

2024

See also: Hawaii Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees election, 2024

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Office of Hawaiian Affairs Hawaii Island Resident Trustee

Kaiali'i Kahele won election outright against Z. Ka'apana Aki, Hope Louise Cermelj, and Hulali Waltjen-Kuilipule in the primary for Office of Hawaiian Affairs Hawaii Island Resident Trustee on August 10, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kaiali'i Kahele (Nonpartisan)	56.7	80,186
	Submit photo	Z. Ka'apana Aki (Nonpartisan)	24.3	34,325
	Submit photo	Hope Louise Cermelj (Nonpartisan)	11.1	15,688
		Hulali Waltjen-Kuilipule (Nonpartisan)	7.9	11,160

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 141,359
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Susan Lee Loy (Nonpartisan)
• Mililani Trask (Nonpartisan)
• D. Iolani Kamauu (Nonpartisan)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Kahele in this election.

2022

See also: Hawaii gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022

General election

General election for Governor of Hawaii

Joshua Green defeated Duke Aiona in the general election for Governor of Hawaii on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joshua Green (D)	63.2	261,025
		Duke Aiona (R)	36.8	152,237

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 413,262
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Hawaii

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Governor of Hawaii on August 13, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joshua Green	62.9	158,161
		Vicky Cayetano	20.9	52,447
		Kaiali'i Kahele	15.0	37,738
	Submit photo	Van Tanabe	0.5	1,236
		Richard Kim	0.4	991
	Submit photo	David Bourgoin	0.2	590
		Clyde McClain Lewman	0.1	249

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 251,412
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Kirk Caldwell (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Hawaii

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Governor of Hawaii on August 13, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Duke Aiona	49.6	37,608
		BJ Penn	26.1	19,817
		Gary Cordery	10.9	8,258
		Heidi Tsuneyoshi	9.6	7,255
		Lynn Barry Mariano	1.2	903
		Paul Morgan	1.0	796
		Keline-Kameyo Kahau	0.6	469
	Submit photo	Walter Woods	0.6	438
	Submit photo	Moses Paskowitz	0.2	189
	Submit photo	George Hawat	0.2	140

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 75,873
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Governor of Hawaii

No candidate advanced from the primary.

		Candidate	%	Votes
	Submit photo	Keleionalani Taylor	61.9	755
	Submit photo	Caleb Nazara	38.1	464

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Vote totals may be incomplete for this race.
	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,219
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Gene Tamashiro (L)
• Frank Hinshaw (L)

2020

See also: Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020

Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020 (August 8 Republican primary)

Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020 (August 8 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Hawaii District 2

The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. House Hawaii District 2 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kaiali'i Kahele (D)	63.0	171,517
		Joseph Akana (R)	30.9	84,027
		Michelle Rose Tippens (L)	2.5	6,785
		Jonathan Hoomanawanui (Aloha Aina Party)	2.4	6,453
		Ron Burrus (Nonpartisan)	1.0	2,659
		John Giuffre (American Shopping Party)	0.2	661

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 272,102
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Watch the Candidate Conversation for this race!

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Hawaii District 2

Kaiali'i Kahele defeated Brian Evans, Brenda Lee, and Noelle Famera in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Hawaii District 2 on August 8, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kaiali'i Kahele	76.5	100,841
		Brian Evans	9.4	12,337
	Submit photo	Brenda Lee	8.1	10,694
		Noelle Famera	6.1	7,992

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 131,864
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• David Cornejo (D)
• Ryan Meza (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Hawaii District 2

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Hawaii District 2 on August 8, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joseph Akana	44.1	15,107
		Elise Hatsuko Kaneshiro	15.4	5,294
	Submit photo	David Hamman	10.0	3,430
	Submit photo	Robert Nagamine	8.4	2,887
	Submit photo	Nicholas Love	7.6	2,616
		Steven Bond	6.5	2,218
	Submit photo	Felipe San Nicolas	4.3	1,465
		Karla Gottschalk	2.8	953
	Submit photo	Raymond Quel	0.9	305

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 34,275
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House Hawaii District 2

Ron Burrus defeated Byron McCorriston in the primary for U.S. House Hawaii District 2 on August 8, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ron Burrus	59.2	1,308
	Submit photo	Byron McCorriston	40.8	901

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,209
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Aloha Aina Party primary election

Aloha Aina Party primary for U.S. House Hawaii District 2

Jonathan Hoomanawanui advanced from the Aloha Aina Party primary for U.S. House Hawaii District 2 on August 8, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jonathan Hoomanawanui	100.0	3,423

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,423
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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American Shopping Party primary election

American Shopping Party primary for U.S. House Hawaii District 2

John Giuffre advanced from the American Shopping Party primary for U.S. House Hawaii District 2 on August 8, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Giuffre	100.0	134

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 134
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for U.S. House Hawaii District 2

Michelle Rose Tippens advanced from the Libertarian primary for U.S. House Hawaii District 2 on August 8, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michelle Rose Tippens	100.0	1,014

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,014
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2018

See also: Hawaii State Senate elections, 2018

General election

General election for Hawaii State Senate District 1

Incumbent Kaiali'i Kahele defeated Kimberly Arianoff in the general election for Hawaii State Senate District 1 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kaiali'i Kahele (D)	87.5	12,492
	Submit photo	Kimberly Arianoff (L)	12.5	1,792

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 14,284 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Hawaii State Senate District 1

Incumbent Kaiali'i Kahele advanced from the Democratic primary for Hawaii State Senate District 1 on August 11, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kaiali'i Kahele	100.0	9,542

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 9,542
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for Hawaii State Senate District 1

Kimberly Arianoff advanced from the Libertarian primary for Hawaii State Senate District 1 on August 11, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Kimberly Arianoff	100.0	15

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 15
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2016

See also: Hawaii State Senate elections, 2016

Elections for the Hawaii State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 13, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 7, 2016.

Incumbent Kaiali'i Kahele defeated Kimberly Arianoff in the Hawaii State Senate District 1 general election.

Hawaii State Senate, District 1 General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Kaiali'i Kahele Incumbent	88.86%	14,488
	Libertarian	Kimberly Arianoff	11.14%	1,816
Total Votes				16,304
Source: State of Hawaii - Office of Elections

Incumbent Kaiali'i Kahele defeated Dennis Onishi and Kaloa Robinson in the Hawaii State Senate District 1 Democratic primary.

Hawaii State Senate, District 1 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Kaiali'i Kahele Incumbent	57.71%	6,592
	Democratic	Dennis Onishi	35.34%	4,037
	Democratic	Kaloa Robinson	6.94%	793
Total Votes				11,422

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Kaiali'i Kahele did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Kahele’s campaign website stated the following:

“	KE ALA HOʻOKELE Kai’s vision is to navigate OHA toward a beacon of hope and empowerment for Native Hawaiians. Inspired by its original mission from 1978, Kai envisions OHA as a dynamic and flexible institution that uses its resources to empower community leaders, support talented and hardworking Hawaiians, and inspire the next generation of ‘ōiwi leaders. Kai sees OHA expanding its impact by fostering innovation and leadership within Hawaiian communities. Drawing on extensive experience and connections at state and federal levels, Kai is committed to transforming OHA into a catalyst for positive change, ensuring it reaches new heights in serving and uplifting Native Hawaiians. Together, we can chart a course toward hope, resilience, and unity for our lāhui. EMPOWER COMMUNITY LEADERS OHA can use its resources to recognize, support, and empower community leaders who know their communities best but have been overlooked. This includes building capacity to support these individuals and infusing energy into Native Hawaiian communities to inspire innovation and progress. RESTORE TRUST AND BUILD CAPACITY OHA must evolve from its past issues with fiscal accountability and internal controversy and commit itself to re-earning the trust of the public, state government, and OHA’s beneficiaries. OHA needs to build strategic capacity as an enterprise that can flexibly understand and respond to the dynamic needs of the lāhui and Native Hawaiian communities. FOSTER INNOVATION OHA can serve as an incubator to inspire the best and brightest minds in the Native Hawaiian community to drive innovation. This includes creating opportunities for talented Native Hawaiians to develop and accelerate new ideas and solutions that can move the lāhui forward. DATA IMPACT OHA has historically maintained vital databases of resources for use across research, grant writing, and projects. The Papakilo Database, Kipuka Database, and Native Hawaiian Data Book are important resources that require critical reinvestment and consistent updating. Native Hawaiians represent a higher number of disproportionately impacted communities in this State, and up-to-date data collection, dissemination, and disaggregation of data specifically for Native Hawaiians will substantially assist those organizations and community leaders seeking resources that impact the Native Hawaiian community. ADVOCATE FOR STATE AND FEDERAL RESOURCES OHA must continue to advocate for fulfilling the state’s Public Land Trust revenue obligations. This includes developing both short-term and long-term political and strategic goals to ensure OHA has the resources needed to deliver progress for its beneficiaries. Additionally, OHA should concentrate its efforts on identifying federal resources for projects that can benefit Native Hawaiian communities. This involves building greater capacity in its Washington D.C. office, working together with the other Native American and Alaskan & Tribal organizations, and strengthening its relationship with Hawaiiʻs congressional delegation as well as other Members of Congress.	”
—Kaiali'i Kahele’s campaign website (2024)

2022

Kaiali'i Kahele did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Kaiali'i Kahele did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Kaiali'i Kahele campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Office of Hawaiian Affairs Hawaii Island Resident Trustee	Won primary	$7,779	$7,679
2022	Governor of Hawaii	Lost primary	$190,022	$288,672
2020	U.S. House Hawaii District 2	Won general	$1,253,139	$1,059,753
2018	Hawaii State Senate District 1	Won general	$133,347	N/A**
Grand total			$1,584,287	$1,356,103
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Noteworthy events

Tested positive for coronavirus on December 26, 2021

See also: Government official, politician, and candidate deaths, diagnoses, and quarantines due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020-2021

Coronavirus pandemic
Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more. Political responses overviewState reopening plansDocumenting America's Path to RecoveryElection changesChanges to vote-by-mail and absentee voting proceduresFederal responsesState responsesState executive ordersStay-at-home ordersMultistate agreementsNon-governmental reopening plansEvictions and foreclosures policiesTravel restrictionsEnacted state legislationState legislative session changesSchool closuresState court closuresInmate releasesLocal government responsesDiagnosed or quarantined politiciansBallot measure changesArguments about government responsesThe 1918 influenza pandemicPandemic Response Accountability CommitteeUnemployment filingsLawsuitsBallotpedia's polling on the coronavirus pandemicSubmit

Kahele announced on December 26, 2021, that he tested positive for COVID-19. He said he was vaccinated at the time he contracted the virus.

Congressional tenure

Key votes

See also: Key votes

Ballotpedia monitors legislation that receives a vote and highlights the ones that we consider to be key to understanding where elected officials stand on the issues. To read more about how we identify key votes, click here.

Key votes: 117th Congress, 2021-2023

The 117th United States Congress began on January 3, 2021 and ended on January 3, 2023. At the start of the session, Democrats held the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives (222-213), and the U.S. Senate had a 50-50 makeup. Democrats assumed control of the Senate on January 20, 2021, when President Joe Biden (D) and Vice President Kamala Harris (D), who acted as a tie-breaking vote in the chamber, assumed office. We identified the key votes below using Congress' top-viewed bills list and through marquee coverage of certain votes on Ballotpedia.

Key votes: 117th Congress, 2021-2023
Vote	Bill and description	Status
Yea	Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act   The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (H.R. 3684) was a federal infrastructure bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on November 15, 2021. Among other provisions, the bill provided funding for new infrastructure projects and reauthorizations, Amtrak maintenance and development, bridge repair, replacement, and rehabilitation, clean drinking water, high-speed internet, and clean energy transmission and power infrastructure upgrades. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more.	Passed (228-206)
Yea	American Rescue Plan Act of 2021   The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (H.R. 1319) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on March 11, 2021, to provide economic relief in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Key features of the bill included funding for a national vaccination program and response, funding to safely reopen schools, distribution of $1,400 per person in relief payments, and extended unemployment benefits. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more.	Passed (220-210)
Yea	Inflation Reduction Act of 2022   The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (H.R. 5376) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on August 16, 2022, to address climate change, healthcare costs, and tax enforcement. Key features of the bill included a $369 billion investment to address energy security and climate change, an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies, allowing Medicare to negotiate certain drug prices, a 15% corporate minimum tax, a 1% stock buyback fee, and enhanced Internal Revenue Service (IRS) enforcement, and an estimated $300 billion deficit reduction from 2022-2031. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more.	Passed (220-207)
Yea	Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act   The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (H.R. 3617) was a bill approved by the House of Representatives that sought to decriminalize marijuana, establish studies of legal marijuana sales, tax marijuana imports and production, and establish a process to expunge and review federal marijuana offenses. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (220-204)
Yea	For the People Act of 2021   The For the People Act of 2021 (H.R. 1) was a federal election law and government ethics bill approved by the House of Representatives. The Congressional Research Service said the bill would "expand voter registration (e.g., automatic and same-day registration) and voting access (e.g., vote-by-mail and early voting). It [would also limit] removing voters from voter rolls. ... Further, the bill [would address] campaign finance, including by expanding the prohibition on campaign spending by foreign nationals, requiring additional disclosure of campaign-related fundraising and spending, requiring additional disclaimers regarding certain political advertising, and establishing an alternative campaign funding system for certain federal offices." The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more.	Passed (220-210)
Yea	Assault Weapons Ban of 2022   The Assault Weapons Ban of 2022 (H.R. 1808) was a bill passed by the House of Representatives that sought to criminalize the knowing import, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of semiautomatic assault weapons (SAW) or large capacity ammunition feeding devices (LCAFD). The bill made exemptions for grandfathered SAWs and LCAFDs. It required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (217-213)
Yea	National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022   The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (S. 1605) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on December 27, 2021, authorizing Department of Defense acitivities and programs for fiscal year 2022. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (363-70)
Yea	James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023   The James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (H.R. 7776) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on December 23, 2022, authorizing Department of Defense activities and programs for fiscal year 2023. The bill required a 2/3 majority in the House to suspend rules and pass the bill as amended.	Passed (350-80)
Yea	American Dream and Promise Act of 2021   The American Dream and Promise Act of 2021 (H.R. 6) was an immigration bill approved by the House of Representatives that proposed a path to permanent residence status for unauthorized immigrants eligible for Temporary Protected Status or Deferred Enforced Departure, among other immigration-related proposals. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (228-197)
Yea	Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022   The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022 (S. 3373) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on August 10, 2022, that sought to address healthcare access, the presumption of service-connection, and research, resources, and other matters related to veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during military service. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (342-88)
Yea	Chips and Science Act   The Chips and Science Act (H.R. 4346) was a bill approved by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on August 9, 2022, which sought to fund domestic production of semiconductors and authorized various federal science agency programs and activities. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (243-187)
Yea	Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021   The Women's Health Protection Act of 2021 (H.R. 3755) was a bill passed by the House of Representatives. The bill proposed prohibiting governmental restrictions on the provision of and access to abortion services and prohibiting governments from issuing some other abortion-related restrictions. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (218-211)
Yea	SAFE Banking Act of 2021   The SAFE Banking Act of 2021 (H.R. 1996) was a bill passed by the House of Representatives that proposed prohibiting federal regulators from penalizing banks for providing services to legitimate cannabis-related businesses and defining proceeds from such transactions as not being proceeds from unlawful activity, among other related proposals. Since the House moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill in an expedited process, it required a two-thirds majority vote in the House.	Passed (321-101)
Yea	Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022   The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (H.R. 2471) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on March 15, 2022, providing for the funding of federal agencies for the remainder of 2022, providing funding for activities related to Ukraine, and modifying or establishing various programs. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (260-171)
Yea	Equality Act   The Equality Act (H.R. 5) was a bill approved by the House of Representatives that proposed prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in areas including public accommodations and facilities, education, federal funding, employment, housing, credit, and the jury system, among other related proposals. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (224-206)
Yea	Respect for Marriage Act   The Respect for Marriage Act (H.R. 8404) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on December 13, 2022. The bill codified the recognition of marriages between individuals of the same sex and of different races, ethnicities, or national origins, and provided that the law would not impact religious liberty or conscience protections, or provide grounds to compel nonprofit religious organizations to recognize same-sex marriages. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more.	Passed (258-169)
Yea	Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023   The Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023 (H.R. 6833) was a bill approved by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on September 30, 2022. It provided for some fiscal year 2023 appropriations, supplemental funds for Ukraine, and extended several other programs and authorities. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (230-201)
Yea	Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act   The Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act (H.R. 7688) was a bill approved by the House of Representatives that sought to prohibit individuals from selling consumer fuels at excessive prices during a proclaimed energy emergency. It would have also required the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether the price of gasoline was being manipulated. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (217-207)
Yea	Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021   The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 (H.R. 8) was a bill approved by the House of Representatives that sought to prohibit the transfer of firearms between private parties unless a licensed firearm vendor conducted a background check on the recipient. The bill also provided for certain exceptions to this requirement. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (227-203)
Yea	Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act   The Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act was a federal elections bill approved by the House of Representatives and voted down by the Senate in a failed cloture vote that sought to, among other provisions, make Election Day a public holiday, allow for same-day voter registration, establish minimum early voting periods, and allow absentee voting for any reason, restrict the removal of local election administrators in federal elections, regulate congressional redistricting, expand campaign finance disclosure rules for some organizations, and amend the Voting Rights Act to require some states to obtain clearance from the U.S. Department of Justice before implementing new election laws. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more.	Passed (220-203)
Yea	Bipartisan Safer Communities Act   The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (S. 2938) was a firearm regulation and mental health bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on June 25, 2022. Provisions of the bill included expanding background checks for individuals under the age of 21, providing funding for mental health services, preventing individuals who had been convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor or felony in dating relationships from purchasing firearms for five years, providing funding for state grants to implement crisis intervention order programs, and providing funding for community-based violence prevention initiatives. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more.	Passed (234-193)
Yea	Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.   This was a resolution before the 117th Congress setting forth an article of impeachment saying that Donald Trump (R) incited an insurrection against the government of the United States on January 6, 2021. The House of Representatives approved the article of impeachment, and the Senate adjudged that Trump was not guilty of the charges. The article of impeachment required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more.	Passed (232-197)
Yea	Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022   The Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act was a bill passed by the 117th Congress in the form of an amendment to a year-end omnibus funding bill that was signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on December 23, 2022. The bill changed the procedure for counting electoral votes outlined in the Electoral Count Act of 1887. Elements of the bill included specifying that the vice president's role at the joint session of congress to count electoral votes is ministerial, raising the objection threshold at the joint session of congress to count electoral votes to one-fifth of the members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, identifying governors as the single official responsible for submitting the certificate of ascertainment identifying that state’s electors, and providing for expedited judicial review of certain claims about states' certificates identifying their electors. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more.	Passed (225-201)

Committee assignments

2021-2022

Kahele was assigned to the following committees:^[Source]

• House Committee on Armed Services
• Tactical Air and Land Forces
• Readiness
• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
• Highways and Transit
• Aviation

State legislative tenure

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Hawaii

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of Hawaii scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2020

In 2020, the Hawaii State Legislature was in session from January 15 to July 10.

• Koho Pono

Legislators are scored on their votes on issues related to Hawaiian interests.

• The American Conservative Union

Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2019

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show].
In 2019, the Hawaii State Legislature was in session from January 16 through May 2. Koho Pono Legislators are scored on their votes on issues related to Hawaiian interests. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2018

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show].
In 2018, the Hawaii State Legislature was in session from January 17 through May 3. Koho Pono Legislators are scored on their votes on issues related to Hawaiian interests. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2017

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show].

In 2017, the Hawaii State Legislature was in session from January 18 through May 4. The Legislature held a special session from July 12 from July 20. The legislature held its first special session from August 28 to September 1. The legislature held its second special session from September 25 to September 26. The legislature held its third special session on November 14. Koho Pono Legislators are scored on their votes on issues related to Hawaiian interests. Sierra Club of Hawaii Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2016

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show].
In 2016, the Hawaii State Legislature was in session from January 20 through May 5. The Legislature held a special session from July 12 from July 20. Hawaii Family Advocates Legislators' votes on bills related to social issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

Committee assignments

2019-2020

Kahele was assigned to the following committees:

• Higher Education Committee
• Ways and Means Committee
• Water and Land Committee, Chair
• Hawaiian Affairs Committee, Vice Chair

2017 state legislative session

At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:

Hawaii committee assignments, 2017
• Education, Vice chair
• Higher Education, Chair
• Housing
• Ways and Means

External links

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Candidate

Office of Hawaiian Affairs Hawaii Island Resident Trustee

Website

YouTube

Personal

LinkedIn

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Mililani Trask	Office of Hawaiian Affairs Hawaii Island Resident Trustee 2024-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by Tulsi Gabbard (D)	U.S. House Hawaii District 2 2021-2023	Succeeded by Jill Tokuda (D)
Preceded by -	Hawaii State Senate District 1 2016-2020	Succeeded by -