David Tarnas
2022 - Present
2026
2
David Tarnas (Democratic Party) is a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives, representing District 8. He assumed office on November 8, 2022. His current term ends on November 3, 2026.
Tarnas (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Hawaii House of Representatives to represent District 8. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Biography
David Tarnas graduated from the University of Detroit Jesuit High School in 1978. Tarnas earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Kalamazoo College in 1982 and a master's degree in marine affairs from the University of Washington in 1985. His career experience includes working as the president and principal consultant of Marine and Coastal Solutions International, Inc., the director of government affairs of Merica International LLC, and the CEO and board chairman of Phase, Inc. Tarnas has served as the Hawaii County chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawaii and co-founded the Malama Kai Foundation.[1][2]
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023-2024
Tarnas was assigned to the following committees:
2021-2022
Tarnas was assigned to the following committees:
- Water and Land Committee, Chair
- Consumer Protection & Commerce Committee
- Corrections, Military, & Veterans Committee (decommissioned)
2019-2020
Tarnas was assigned to the following committees:
- Energy & Environmental Protection Committee
- Water and Land Committee
- Lower and Higher Education Committee
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2024
See also: Hawaii House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for Hawaii House of Representatives District 8
Incumbent David Tarnas defeated Monique CobbAdams Perreira in the general election for Hawaii House of Representatives District 8 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | David Tarnas (D) | 62.4 | 6,331 |
| Monique CobbAdams Perreira (R) | 37.6 | 3,822 | ||
| Total votes: 10,153 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 8
Incumbent David Tarnas advanced from the Democratic primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 8 on August 10, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | David Tarnas | 100.0 | 3,688 |
| Total votes: 3,688 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 8
Monique CobbAdams Perreira advanced from the Republican primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 8 on August 10, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Monique CobbAdams Perreira | 100.0 | 960 | |
| Total votes: 960 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Tarnas in this election.
2022
See also: Hawaii House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for Hawaii House of Representatives District 8
Incumbent David Tarnas defeated Monique CobbAdams Perreira in the general election for Hawaii House of Representatives District 8 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | David Tarnas (D) | 69.1 | 5,564 |
| Monique CobbAdams Perreira (R) | 30.9 | 2,484 | ||
| Total votes: 8,048 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 8
Incumbent David Tarnas defeated Makai Freitas in the Democratic primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 8 on August 13, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | David Tarnas | 69.2 | 3,310 |
| Makai Freitas | 30.8 | 1,470 | ||
| Total votes: 4,780 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 8
Monique CobbAdams Perreira advanced from the Republican primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 8 on August 13, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Monique CobbAdams Perreira | 100.0 | 1,064 | |
| Total votes: 1,064 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2020
See also: Hawaii House of Representatives elections, 2020
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 7
Incumbent David Tarnas won election outright in the Democratic primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 7 on August 8, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | David Tarnas | 100.0 | 4,087 |
| Total votes: 4,087 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2018
General election
David Tarnas defeated Tom Belekanich in the general election for Hawaii House of Representatives District 7 on November 6, 2018.
General election
General election for Hawaii House of Representatives District 7
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | David Tarnas (D) | 76.9 | 6,584 |
| Tom Belekanich (R) | 23.1 | 1,974 | ||
| Total votes: 8,558 (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
David Tarnas defeated incumbent Cindy Evans in the Democratic primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 7 on August 11, 2018.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 7
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | David Tarnas | 53.7 | 2,904 |
 | Cindy Evans | 46.3 | 2,505 | |
| Total votes: 5,409 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Republican primary election
Tom Belekanich advanced from the Republican primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 7 on August 11, 2018.
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 7
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Tom Belekanich | 100.0 | 713 | |
| Total votes: 713 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2016
Elections for the Hawaii House of Representatives 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 Cindy Evans defeated Jeffrey Coakley in the Hawaii House of Representatives District 7 general election.[3]
| Hawaii House of Representatives, District 7 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Cindy Evans Incumbent |
62.36% | 5,934 | |
| Republican | Jeffrey Coakley | 37.64% | 3,581 | |
| Total Votes | 9,515 | |||
| Source: State of Hawaii - Office of Elections | ||||
Incumbent Cindy Evans defeated David Tarnas in the Hawaii House of Representatives District 7 Democratic primary.[4][5]
| Hawaii House of Representatives, District 7 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Cindy Evans Incumbent |
52.11% | 2,232 | |
| Democratic | David Tarnas | 47.89% | 2,051 | |
| Total Votes | 4,283 | |||
Jeffrey Coakley ran unopposed in the Hawaii House of Representatives District 7 Republican primary.[4][5]
| Hawaii House of Representatives, District 7 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Jeffrey Coakley (unopposed) | |
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
David Tarnas did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2022
David Tarnas completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Tarnas' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- I am running for state office to serve the community where my wife Carolyn and I have worked and raised our two children, who are now pursuing their own careers. My experience as a parent, an owner of a small business and a public servant provides me a unique perspective on how things work and don't work in our state. My 36-year career in Hawaiʻi as a planner and legislator demonstrates a solid track record of resolving conflicts related to land use, natural resources, ecosystem protection, community health, and education. I am thoughtful, diligent, and work collaboratively with stakeholders as we work to resolve difficult and complex policy issues. I am asking for your vote to return to the legislature and continue this important work.
- The biggest issue in my district is the rising cost of living. I have been consistent in my support for legislation to reduce the cost of living by addressing taxes, wages, and the costs of housing, healthcare, childcare, and elder care. This past session, I worked with the legislature to make the Earned Income Tax Credit permanent and refundable; provide tax rebates of up to $300 per resident; increase the minimum wage; appropriate $300 million to build rental housing and $45 million to develop infrastructure for affordable housing; increase funding rental assistance; provide $15 million to temporary shelter, transitional housing and services for the homeless; and prohibit discrimination against those using Section 8 housing vouchers.
- I will also continue to work hard in the legislature to address the rising cost of healthcare, childcare and elder care. This past session, we were successful in passing bills to address healthcare provider shortages in rural areas by increasing residency and training opportunities and providing loan repayment assistance to doctors working in rural areas; expand reimbursements for telemedicine services; appropriate $200 million to develop and expand preschool facilities statewide; increase funding for the Kupuna Care Program and the Aging and Disability Resource Centers in each county; and fund adult dental benefits for all Medicaid patients. I am asking for your support to return to the legislature to continue this important work.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2020
David Tarnas did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
David Tarnas completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Tarnas' responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
My top three priorities, if elected, will be to advocate for policies and programs to support sustainable economic development, support protection of environmental quality, and facilitate public involvement in the legislative process. I would advocate for legislation that supports economic development to provide meaningful employment and a healthy quality of life for local community members. This legislation would be aimed to help small business be successful and strengthen the island's core industries of agriculture, tourism, ocean recreation, astronomy, and construction. I would advocate for other legislation that to help diversify the island economy with new and emerging knowledge-based industries and resource-based industries, including renewable energy, marine biotechnology, ocean science and technology, space technology, and environmental technology. And I would support legislation to strengthen public education and workforce training offering lifelong learning for the community. Regarding environmental protection, I would advocate for legislation to address the significant threats resulting from global climate change, sea level rise, overfishing, unmanaged land development, loss of watersheds, and spread of invasive species. This legislation would include providing incentives for people to convert from cesspools to improved wastewater treatment systems in coastal areas, requiring realtors to disclose the risk of sea level rise to prospective buyers of coastal properties, and urging Congress to change the National Flood Insurance Program to reduce incentives to rebuild property damaged by flooding and storms in vulnerable coastal areas. I would support other legislation that would include establishing a statewide system of marine protected areas, protecting uhu and other herbivorous fish, and better managing near-shore recreational and commercial fishing; improving soil erosion control to reduce coastal runoff into near-shore coral reef ecosystems; increasing protection of watersheds to reduce runoff and loss of habitat; and increasing efforts to detect and prevent the spread of invasive species. My legislative office and I would facilitate public engagement in the legislative process by maintaining close communication with constituents through programs to inform the public and enable community members to provide input to the legislature. This would include supporting funding and rule changes to make regular updates to the legislative website, provide more live-streaming of committee hearings, allow video testimony from neighbor island sites, and provide more updates on various social media platforms. As a legislator, I would arrange well-publicized town meetings during the recess periods in the legislature, as well as during the interim period. I would have frequent "Talk Story with Rep. Tarnas" pop-up venues in the community along the road-side and at community events and shopping centers, State offices, and community centers. I would request to have access to a State office or meeting room in the district for constituent meetings. In addition, I would send out regular e-newsletters to constituents, post printed copies in local libraries and community centers, conduct telephone and online town-hall meetings and maintain a regular and engaged social media presence during legislative session and during the interim.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
My top three priorities, if elected, will be to advocate for policies and programs to support sustainable economic development, support protection of environmental quality, and facilitate public involvement in the legislative process. These are areas of public policy reform about which I am particularly passionate.
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
The characteristics and principles that are most important for an elected office include being a Servant Leader; Honest; Accountable; Able to Work in the Public Interest; Knowledgeable about Many Subjects; Persistent.
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
The qualities I possess that I believe would make me a successful State Representative include: Hardworking; Responsible; Studious; Knowledgeable about many subjects; Experienced facilitator; Successful at resolving disputes; Easy to work with; Courteously persistent; Owner of a small business; 32-year resident; Married for 25 years with two children.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
The core responsibilities for the State Representative job are to: Pass legislation to improve public policy in the public interest; Pass a State Budget allocating money for programs that are in the public interest; Advocate for the interest of the people, places, and nature of House District 7; Upon request, assist District 7 constituents in any dealings with State agencies .
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2016
Tarnas' campaign website highlighted the following issues:
| “ |
|
” |
| —David Tarnas, [7] | ||
Campaign finance summary
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.
Scorecards
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.
2024
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show]. |
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In 2024, the Hawaii State Legislature was in session from January 17 to May 3. |
2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the Hawaii State Legislature was in session from January 18 to May 4. |
2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the Hawaii State Legislature was in session from January 19 to May 5. |
2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the Hawaii State Legislature was in session from January 20 to April 29.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the Hawaii State Legislature was in session from January 15 to July 10.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Hawaii State Legislature was in session from January 16 through May 2.
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See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate Hawaii House of Representatives District 8 |
Officeholder Hawaii House of Representatives District 8 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ LinkedIn, "David Tarnas," accessed December 30, 2022
- ↑ Hawai'i State Legislature, "Representative David A. Tarnas (D)," accessed December 30, 2022
- ↑ State of Hawaii, "General Election 2016 - State of Hawaii – Statewide November 8, 2016," accessed November 23, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 State of Hawaii, "2016 Candidate Report," accessed June 10, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Hawaii.gov, "Primary Election results," accessed September 12, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Vote Tarnas, "Community values," accessed July 13, 2016
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Troy Hashimoto (D) |
Hawaii House of Representatives District 8 2022-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Hawaii House of Representatives District 7 2018-2022 |
Succeeded by Nicole Lowen (D) |
