Kai Kahele

Kaiali‘i Kahele (born March 28, 1974)[1] is an American politician, educator, and commercial pilot from Hawaii. Since 2016, he has served in the Hawaii Senate from the 1st district. Kahele is a member of the Democratic Party,[2][3] and the son of Hawaii Senate member Gil Kahele.

Kai Kahele
Member of the Hawaii Senate
from the 1st district
Assumed office
February 17, 2016
Preceded byGil Kahele
Personal details
Born (1974-03-28) March 28, 1974
Miloli‘i, Hawaii
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Maria Fe Day
RelationsGil Kahele (father)
Children3
EducationUniversity of Hawaii, Mānoa (BA)
WebsiteOfficial website
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Air Force
Years of service2001–present
Rank Lieutenant Colonel
Unit Hawaii Air National Guard
Battles/warsIraq War
War in Afghanistan
War on Terror
Awards Air Medal
Armed Forces Reserve Medal
Combat Readiness Medal
Commendation Medal
Meritorious Service Medal
National Defense Service Medal

In January 2019, Kahele announced he would challenge Tulsi Gabbard in Hawaii's 2nd congressional district in 2020, but Gabbard eventually dropped out of the race to focus on her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. Kahele won the Democratic nomination on August 8, 2020.[4]

Early life and education

Kahele is a Native Hawaiian whose family comes from the small fishing village of Miloli‘i in South Kona. He graduated from Hilo High School and attended Hawai‘i Community College and the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo before earning a Bachelor of Arts in education from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa in 1998.[5]

As a member of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa's Rainbow Warriors NCAA Division I Mens Volleyball Team, he was voted "Most Inspirational Teammate" by his team in 1997. He and his wife live with their daughters in Hilo, Kahele's lifetime home on Hawai‘i Island.[6]

Career

Military service

Kahele is a military and civilian pilot. He is a commissioned officer in the Hawaii Air National Guard, where he continues to serve as a Lieutenant Colonel with the 201st Air Mobility Operations Squadron at Hickam Air Force Base. Kahele is a decorated combat veteran with multiple deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan since 2005. He flew 108 combat sorties, logged 3,075 hours of military flight time, and commanded C-17 combat missions. Kahele is the recipient of numerous awards including the Meritorious Service Medal, the Commendation Medal, the Air Medal for combat missions flown in Afghanistan, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Hawaii State Active Duty Medal and the Combat Readiness Medal.[7] He has previously been named both Pacific Air Forces Guard Officer of the Year and Hawaiʻi Air National Guard Officer of the Year.

He also flies as a civilian pilot for Hawaiian Airlines.[8] Kahele has served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo.

Hawaii State Senate

Kahele was appointed to District 1 in the Hawaii Senate on February 16, 2016, following the death of his father, Gil Kahele. Kahele defeated Dennis "Fresh" Onishi in the August 2016 Democratic Primary 57% to 35% and then defeated Libertarian Kimberly Arianoff in the general election in November 2016.[9] Kahele won the 2018 general election by a wide margin.

In 2019, Kahele was selected to serve as the Majority Floor Leader in the Senate and as chairman of the Senate Committee on Water and Land. He was a member of the Ways and Means, Hawaiian Affairs and Higher Education committees. During the 19th Annual Western Legislative Academy (WLA), lawmakers from other states elected Kahele as the class president of the Council of State Governments (CSG) West. Kahele will represent the WLA and all alumni as an executive committee member of CSG West.[10]

Kahele has vowed to reform the University of Hawaii system, declaring that the "system is broken".[11] He introduced SB 1161 in 2017 to freeze tuition until 2027. The bill did not advance.[12] Kahele introduced SB 2329 in 2018 calling for reduction in tuition at UH campuses.[13] The bill has been criticized for reducing the university's ability to manage its finances.[14]

Kahele backed passage and enactment of a measure establishing the Hilo Community Economic Division to pave the way for County and State investment in Hilo and East Hawaii's economic future. He was a key supporter in developing a bachelor of science in commercial aviation program that will commence in the fall of 2019 at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. Other legislative priorities for Kahele are Banyan Drive redevelopment and funding for rat lungworm disease research.[15] HB 2014 for $1M in research funding related to rat lungworm disease at UH Hilo was introduced in the Hawaii House but has not advanced.[16]

In 2017, Kahele served as Vice Chair of the Education Committee, Chair of the Higher Education Committee, and member of Housing and Ways and Means Committees.

2020 U.S. House election
Main article: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii § District 2

In January 2019, Kahele announced he would run for a seat in the House of Representatives from Hawaii's 2nd congressional district. Incumbent Representative Tulsi Gabbard, who had run for president, announced on October 25, that she would not run for another term in Congress.[17][18] Kahele won the primary election on August 8, 2020.[19]

Electoral history
2020 Hawaii 2nd congressional district Democratic primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Kai Kahele 98,675 76
Democratic Brian Evans 12,061 9.4
Democratic Brenda Lee 10,512 8.1
Democratic Noelle Famera 7,736 6.0
Total votes 100.0%
2020 Hawaii 2nd congressional district election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Kai Kahele
Republican Joe Akana
Total votes 100.0

References
  1. "Confident Kahele faces experienced, novice challengers in District 1". Hawaii Tribune-Herald. July 25, 2016.
  2. "Kaiali'i Kahele". Hawaii Legislature. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  3. "Kaiali'i Kahele". Ballotpedia. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  4. "Democrats Kai Kahele and Ed Case cruising to general election for Congress". Star Advertiser. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  5. "Meet Kai". Kai Kahele. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
  6. "Legislative Members". www.capitol.hawaii.gov. Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  7. "Awards & Decorations". Kai Kahele. 2019-03-26. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
  8. "In His Father's Footsteps". MidWeek. 2019-06-04. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
  9. "Kaiali'i Kahele – Ballotpedia". Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  10. Senate, Hawaiʻi State (December 5, 2018). "Senator Kaiali'i Kahele Elected Class President of the 2018 Western Legislative Academy". hawaiistatesenate. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
  11. ""System Is Broken"". hilo.hawaii.edu. Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  12. "SB 1161 - Hawaii 2017 Regular Session". Open States. Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  13. "Measure Status". www.capitol.hawaii.gov. Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  14. Mendoza, Jim. "Lawmakers take up proposal to put UH tuition hikes on ice". Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  15. "East Hawaii lawmakers outline legislative priorities - West Hawaii Today". West Hawaii Today. Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  16. "HB 2104 - Hawaii 2018 Regular Session". Open States. Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  17. Cocke, Sophie (January 21, 2019). "Hawaii state Sen. Kai Kahele officially announces 2020 bid for Congress". Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
  18. Tulsi Gabbard [@TulsiGabbard] (October 24, 2019). "I'm fully committed to my offer to serve you, the people of Hawaii & America, as your President & Commander-in-Chief. So I will not be seeking reelection to Congress in 2020. I humbly ask for your support for my candidacy for President of the United States tulsi.to/mahalo" (Tweet). Retrieved October 28, 2019 – via Twitter.
  19. https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/509988-democrat-kai-kahele-wins-hawaii-primary-to-replace-tulsi-gabbard
Hawaii Senate
Preceded by
Gil Kahele		 Member of the Hawaii Senate
from the 1st district
2016–present		 Incumbent
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