Ian Ross

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Ian Ross

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 10, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2014

Personal

Birthplace

Hawaii

Profession

Public policy advocate

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Personal Twitter

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Ian Ross (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Hawaii House of Representatives to represent District 23. He lost in the Democratic primary on August 10, 2024.

Ross completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Ian Ross was born in Hawaii. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2014. His career experience includes working as a public policy advocate.

Elections

2024

See also: Hawaii House of Representatives elections, 2024

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 23

Ikaika Olds won election outright against Ian Ross, Pat McCain, and Paul Robotti in the Democratic primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 23 on August 10, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ikaika Olds	48.5	1,518
		Ian Ross	37.2	1,166
	Submit photo	Pat McCain	12.5	391
		Paul Robotti	1.8	57

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,132
= 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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Endorsements

Ross received the following endorsements.

• Hawaii State Teachers Association
• International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 50
• Operating Engineers Local 3
• Americans for Democratic Action Hawaii
• Hawaii Children's Action Network

2022

See also: Hawaii State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Hawaii State Senate District 11

Carol Fukunaga defeated Benjamin Sakai in the general election for Hawaii State Senate District 11 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Carol Fukunaga (D)	75.3	12,831
	Submit photo	Benjamin Sakai (R)	24.7	4,207

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 17,038
= 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 State Senate District 11

Carol Fukunaga defeated Ian Ross in the Democratic primary for Hawaii State Senate District 11 on August 13, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Carol Fukunaga	65.5	7,914
		Ian Ross	34.5	4,176

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 12,090
= 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 State Senate District 11

Benjamin Sakai advanced from the Republican primary for Hawaii State Senate District 11 on August 13, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Benjamin Sakai	100.0	1,491

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,491
= 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.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Ian Ross completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ross' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Professionally, I serve as the Public Affairs Director at Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center. Before that, I was the Public Policy and Advocacy Manager for the Alzheimer’s Association - Hawaiʻi. I’ve also worked at the state legislature for four years as an aide and bill drafter. In my personal capacity, I served as the Chair of Neighborhood Board #10 for five years, from 2019-2024. Hawaiʻi is experiencing many challenges, from affordability to public safety to homelessness. I’m running because I want to fight for a Hawaiʻi that is healthier, safer, and more affordable for everyone.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Reducing homelessness with a comprehensive approach.
• Providing more housing that is truly affordable for local residents.
• Improving public safety by tightening firearm regulations and shutting down illegal game rooms.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Personally, I’m passionate about improving public health. Our state has high rates of chronic disease, especially among underserved demographics. I also lost both my grandmothers to Alzheimer’s disease. We need to be doing more to improve health and longevity for our people.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

A collaborative leadership approach, an ability to listen, and the experience necessary to act. In my experience as a community organizer and advocate, these are the most important characteristics to creating meaningful change.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I started my first job at seventeen years old, working at a certified Apple repair shop. I held this job for a year and a half.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Dark Forest, by Liu Cixin. It’s a creative story that experiments with a lot of unique ideas.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Homelessness and housing. People experience homelessness for a variety of reasons, and we need a comprehensive approach that addresses all of these underlying causes. Meanwhile, the lack of truly affordable housing is the main reason why our state’s population has been declining for years as people face financial pressure to leave their communities.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

My very first bill would be to stabilize the cost of condominium insurance. Recent events have caused this insurance to skyrocket, which is a major threat to affordability for both owners and renters.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

I have so far been endorsed by multiple unions, including the Hawaii State Teachers Association and District Council 50. I’m also happy to be endorsed by the state chapter of Americans for Democratic Action, as well as Hawaii Children’s Action Network Speaks!

What committees interest you?

Due to the existential threat posed by climate change, I’m most interested in committees that have jurisdiction over Energy and Environment. I’m also interested in Human Services, Health, Economic Development, and Finance.

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.

2022

Ian Ross did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 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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Ian Ross campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Hawaii House of Representatives District 23	Lost primary	$42,257	$43,905
2022	Hawaii State Senate District 11	Lost primary	$62,572	$64,154
Grand total			$104,829	$108,059
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

See also

2024 Elections

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Government

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External links

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Candidate

Hawaii House of Representatives District 23

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Personal

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Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Hawaii House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Nadine Nakamura

Majority Leader:Sean Quinlan

Minority Leader:Lauren Matsumoto

Representatives

District 1

Matthias Kusch (D)

District 2

Susan Lee Loy (D)

District 3

Chris Todd (D)

District 4

Greggor Ilagan (D)

District 5

Jeanne Kapela (D)

District 6

Kirstin Kahaloa (D)

District 7

Nicole Lowen (D)

District 8

David Tarnas (D)

District 9

Justin Woodson (D)

District 10

Tyson Miyake (D)

District 11

Terez Amato (D)

District 12

Kyle Yamashita (D)

District 13

Mahina Poepoe (D)

District 14

Elle Cochran (D)

District 15

Nadine Nakamura (D)

District 16

Luke Evslin (D)

District 17

Dee Morikawa (D)

District 18

Joe Gedeon (R)

District 19

Mark Hashem (D)

District 20

Tina Nakada Grandinetti (D)

District 21

Jackson Sayama (D)

District 22

Andrew Takuya Garrett (D)

District 23

Ikaika Olds (D)

District 24

Adrian Tam (D)

District 25

Kim Iwamoto (D)

District 26

Della Belatti (D)

District 27

Jenna Takenouchi (D)

District 28

Daniel Holt (D)

District 29

Ikaika Hussey (D)

District 30

Shirley Templo (D)

District 31

Linda Ichiyama (D)

District 32

Garner Shimizu (R)

District 33

Sam Kong (D)

District 34

Gregg Takayama (D)

District 35

Cory Chun (D)

District 36

Rachele Lamosao (D)

District 37

Trish La Chica (D)

District 38

Lauren Matsumoto (R)

District 39

Elijah Pierick (R)

District 40

Julie Reyes Oda (R)

District 41

David Alcos (R)

District 42

Diamond Garcia (R)

District 43

Kanani Souza (R)

District 44

Darius Kila (D)

District 45

Chris Muraoka (R)

District 46

Amy Perruso (D)

District 47

Sean Quinlan (D)

District 48

Lisa Kitagawa (D)

District 49

Scot Matayoshi (D)

District 50

Michael Lee (D)

District 51

Lisa Marten (D)

Democratic Party (42)

Republican Party (9)