Joseph Akana

Joseph Akana (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Akana completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Joseph Akana was born on Edwards AFB, California. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1984 to 1994. He earned a high school diploma from the Kamehameha Schools. Akana earned a bachelor's degree from Bellevue University in 1990 and graduate degrees from both Hawaii Pacific University and the National Intelligence University in 2005. His career experience includes working as a project manager, intelligence officer, readiness manager, business owner, real estate investor, entrepreneur, and military-intelligence analyst.^[1]

Elections

2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Hawaii District 2

Jill Tokuda defeated Joseph Akana and Michelle Rose Tippens in the general election for U.S. House Hawaii District 2 on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Jill Tokuda (D)	62.2	128,407
	Joseph Akana (R)	35.3	72,874
	Michelle Rose Tippens (L)	2.5	5,130

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 206,411
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Hawaii District 2

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Hawaii District 2 on August 13, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jill Tokuda	57.6	62,275
		Patrick Branco	25.0	27,057
	Submit photo	Kyle Yoshida	6.1	6,624
		Brendan Schultz	5.7	6,115
		Nicole Gi	3.6	3,937
	Submit photo	Steven Sparks	2.0	2,137

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 108,145
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Tommy Waters (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Hawaii District 2

Joseph Akana defeated Joe Webster in the Republican primary for U.S. House Hawaii District 2 on August 13, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Joseph Akana	83.9	28,200
	Joe Webster	16.1	5,403

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 33,603
= 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 13, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michelle Rose Tippens	100.0	343

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 343
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

To view Akana's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.

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

	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

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 131,864
= candidate completed 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

	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

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,209
= candidate completed 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

	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

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 134
= 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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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

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,014
= 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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Campaign themes

2022

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released July 15, 2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

Joseph Akana completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Akana's 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.

A graduate of Kamehameha Schools in Honolulu, I served 10 years as an Intelligence Analyst in the U.S. Air Force and received my Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resource Management. After my enlistment ended, I began a highly successful career in Sales & Marketing. I later moved to the financial arena, specifically, home mortgages and equity lines. I have a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Hawaii Pacific University and a second Master’s Degree in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University. I am a retired project manager and analyst with the U.S. Government and currently President of Arete Management, Inc. I'm also a business development coach for start-up businesses and entrepreneurs. I have an incredible aspiration to empower others to reach for their dreams and goals and pursue their God-given gifts and talents, “Empowering You to Empower YOU!” is one of my favorite quotes. My core values are Faith, Family and Freedom. I currently serve on the neighborhood board and was the republican nominee for US Congress in 2020.

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?

We need to stop runaway inflation. We need to stop spending money frivolously and also sending money to foreign countries. We need to stop kicking the can down the road and develop a real budget and live by that budget. Additionally, we cannot continue to survive on Continual Resolution for the US Govt. We need a definitive budgetary plan.
"Freedom is never more than a generation away from extinction" Ronald Reagan. We must continue to push the issue on the erosion of our Constitutional rights. It is not enough to just talk about it. The very essence of our country is at stake. We have the greatest document in human history that gives freedoms to the general populace that was never experienced before, and yet we constantly are trying to give it away and negate the freedoms we as Americans have.
We must address the rising costs of living in Hawaii and the impact that the Jones Act is having on our economy here in Hawaii. If we invest, utilize and promote initiatives we’ll maximize business growth. By creating cooperative development hubs to pool resources and increase engagement between communities, and make the people of Hawaii the stakeholders we’ll all prosper. Working together to strengthen Hawaii will help her people flourish is not a new idea. Laulima is in our shared DNA. Why have we stopped practicing the core value of many hands working together to succeed?

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

We need to get control of the hyper-inflation started by the Biden Administration. Current inflation rate is conservatively estimated to be around 10%. Gas prices have risen almost 92% since 2020. Food and consumer items are up 10-15%. We have supply chain issues, border security issues, and food production issues. Our freedoms and unalienable rights that are guaranteed by God and the Constitution are under constant attack. Our cost of living and taxes in Hawaii are the second highest in the Nation. We need to update and modernize the Jones Act. According to Grass Roots Institute of Hawaii in 2020, every family in Hawaii could benefit by as much as $1800/year from an update to the Jones Act. The Jones Act was designed in 1920 that required ships be made in America, owned by American company, American flagged, and 75% American crew. The current fleet of qualified Jones Act vessels has dwindled down to 93 ships, world-wide. We also need to remove the GET on groceries, OTC medical, and household consumable.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

The greatest hero I have is my father. He has always been my role model and the person i most admired. He has always placed the care and well being of his family first and still does it today. He and my mom are my biggest and most enthusiastic supporters. His character, integrity and honor are beyond reproach. He will tell the truth whether you want to hear it or not and give you his ear if you need to have someone to vent on. His love for our family and generosity to others in the community is limitless. I am so proud to call him my dad.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The Art of War by Sun Tsu, The Magic of Thinking Big by Dave Schwartz, The Book of Proverbs in the Bible.

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

Honest, open, transparent, integrity and be a servant leader.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Honesty and Integrity - As a intelligence officer, the most important character you can possess is to be credible in everything you do and say. Your entire career could be over if it were deemed that you were uncredible or unreliable. I have tried to live my life by three rules: 1) If you make a mess, clean it up. holds true for kids and adults. 2) Brush your teeth and take bath everyday. pretty self explanatory. and 3) Do what you say you are going to do. Simple rules to live by

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To do what is right for the people. Be a servant leader. Be fiscally responsible.

What legacy would you like to leave?

That I lived everyday of my life and have no regrets. I gave my 100% to all the works of my hands and that I was willing to stand for my right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The withdrawal of US troops out of Vietnam in 1972. I was 8 years old at the time

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

I worked at a local convenience store as a store clerk. I worked there for approximately 6 weeks

What is your favorite book? Why?

21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell. It provides soild examples of leading and the principles behind that leadership. not just the words, but the action behind the words

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

I would be The Mighty Thor. Why? in order to wield Mjolnir, you had to be a person of uncompromising integrity and righteousness

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Don't Stop Believing by Journey

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Having patience with myself and with others

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

First of all, it is the voice of the people. As a representative, you can never forget who you serve. You serve the people! Not special interests or lobbyist or your self. It will be always be about the people. Second, the House of Representatives are the watchdogs of the budget. It is imperative that we manage the budget and stop spending money frivolously on pet projects and then sending money to foreign countries. We need to stop kicking the can down the road and develop a real budget and then live by that budget. Additionally, we cannot continue to survive on Continual Resolution for the US Govt. We need a definitive budgetary plan.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

No. The most important experience to have is that you are elected by the people to be there representative. As such, the ability to communicate and disseminate that information out to your constituents is paramount. You need to be a person of character and integrity. You need to stand for your yes meaning yes and your no meaning no. You need to be honest, open and transparent.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

The United States of America has a multitude of Issues. Inflation, cost of living, crisis at the border, the breakdown of the military to name a few. To provide viable solutions we must stand strong and work together for the people.

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

I would love to be a part of the SBA and the USDA committees. A large part of my constituents are in rural or agricultural areas. Its only fitting that I be on those committees that can best benefit are people. I have also have 25 years of experience in the intelligence world. It would be a great fit to continue being a part of that as well

If you are a current representative, why did you join your current committees?

N/A

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

That is what is provided for in the Constitution as once again you are the representative of the people. if you are not serving the people, then the people have the right to vote you out.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I believe term limits are the way to fix corruption throughout the political arena. Presidents, governors, and mayor max out at two terms, while representatives and senators can be in office for 20, 30, or 40 years?

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

I would have to say that it would be the late Patsy Mink from Hawaii. Not because she was a woman or a Democrat, but because of her fiery passion to fight for what she believed in. Her passion led her to lead the creation of Title IX and enable women of all races to be able to be considered equal for scholarships and collegiate athletic programs.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Most recently, a young man in my district was telling me how he had been incarcerated for many years. While in prison, he was able to find himself and what was important for him. He also made a vow that he would help people that have been human or sex trafficked. Recently, he and several of his friends went into a house that was known to sex traffic young girls. He described the ordeals these girls went through while in this house. At great danger to himself and his friends, they were able to remove 4 young ladies from this house and returned them home to their families. Human/Sex trafficking is a big business that must be stopped.

Tell us your favorite joke.

What is the longest word in the English Language?

Smiles. There's a mile between the two Ss

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Comprise is often necessary. However, it is always preferable to operate from a position of strength than that of weakness. It is just as important to stand on your core values. My core values that I will never compromise on is that of Faith, Family and Freedom..

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

Again, it is vital to establish a budget, live by that budget , and stop kicking the can down the road with Continuing Resolutions in order to fund the government. That is not away to balance the budget. In my opinion, you create more problems by not solving the problems an by sticking a band-aide on the problem than by actually solving the problem.

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.

Campaign website

Akana's campaign website stated the following:

“

Business Recovery Post COVID-19

Lower Taxes
Promote Special Funding Programs
Reduction of Red Tape for Small Business Development
Decrease of Cost of Living - Update of JONES ACT

Housing

Financial Assistance through Federal funded programs
Land Use Ordinance
Inventory of Homes
Update of Hawaiian Homes Commission Act
OHA Oversight

Education

Advocate use of Federal Programs to maximize current local educational systems
Funding for Vocational training
School Choice

2A Rights

While the 1st Amendment gave us the rights of Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press, Freedom of Religion, Freedom to Peaceably Assemble and the Freedom to Petition and the 4th Amendment the right to due process, The 2nd Amendment was designed to do one thing… Enable the People to defend themselves against the tyranny of an oppressive government. Of all the amendments, this is the enforcing mechanism that ensures the values of freedom granted by the Constitution.

Transparency & Accountability

We must end bribery and corruption through term limits on both the federal and state levels. We must hold our elected officials to a higher level of accountability. The easiest way to do that is through term limits. The President only gets 8 years, the governor and mayors only get 8 years, but legislators can have 30 or 40? Term limits will remind all politicians that they serve We the People and reduce the accumulated power base associated with 20,30 or 40 years in office.

Cost of Living

Inflation already exceeding 6%, energy costs soaring upwards 33%, food costs rising over 8.4% and more increases on the way. The Build Back Better program supported by all of our legislators is Building Back Broker for all of the people of Hawaii. Our children are leaving because they can’t afford to stay. We need to update federal programs like the Jones Act and invest in small business development. Programs that will make Hawaii a business-friendly state, not its present corruption dominated entity.

End Sex/Human Trafficking

This is an abomination that must stop. Thousands of people in Hawaii and millions throughout the world, many of them children, disappear every year. Where do they all go? None of our present lawmakers want to address this issue. Why? I don’t know. But let me assure you, this is a top priority for me in Congress and I will fight to put the safety and security of your family back in your hands not in that of government.

Self-Sustainability

In Hawaii, we have an abundance of natural resources to support self-sustainability and raise thriving local economies. and yet we are virtually 100% dependent on the incoming shipments of food and energy. We must invest and utilize USDA funded programs to develop self-sustainable foods like taro or livestock and energy like bio-fuel sources. We don’t have a technology problem. We have an idea problem. We need to invest in ourselves. These investments should educate and develop new industries and increase financial stability in all areas of the state. As your Congressman, I will find developmental programs that are for the prosperity of Hawaii and its people.

Cyber Security Infrastructure

All to often we here about security data breeches at banks, insurance, or medical companies. What we don’t hear about is the security for our power grids or water sources. What would happen if those were hacked and then shutdown for days or weeks? These are critical infrastructure programs that are often ignored by federal and state governments until some disaster happens. In Hawaii, we are the most isolated group of islands in the world and are in constant threat of natural and manmade disasters. Any loss of these would be cataclysmic for us. And yet, our governments continue to ignore this as a threat. This must not be ignored!^[2]

”

—Joseph Akana's campaign website (2022)^[3]

2020

Joseph Akana did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

External links

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Candidate

U.S. House Hawaii District 2

Personal

Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 15, 2022
↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
↑ Akana for Congress, “Platform,” accessed October 7, 2022

[show]

Hawaii's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Mazie Hirono (D)

Brian Schatz (D)

Representatives

District 1

Ed Case (D)

District 2

Jill Tokuda (D)

Democratic Party (4)

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 15, 2022

[quotedisclaimer-2] Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

[3] Akana for Congress, “Platform,” accessed October 7, 2022

[1]

[2]

[3]

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Joseph Akana

Biography

Elections

2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Hawaii District 2

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Hawaii District 2

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Hawaii District 2

Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for U.S. House Hawaii District 2

Endorsements

2020

General election

General election for U.S. House Hawaii District 2

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Hawaii District 2

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Hawaii District 2

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House Hawaii District 2

Aloha Aina Party primary election

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

American Shopping Party primary election

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

Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for U.S. House Hawaii District 2

Campaign themes

2022

Video for Ballotpedia

Ballotpedia survey responses

Campaign website

2020

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

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