Kaua’i Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami officially filed candidacy papers on Tuesday to run for lieutenant governor in Hawaiʻi’s 2026 primary election, becoming one of the first major island leaders to formally enter the statewide race.
Term-limited Kawakami, who has served as mayor of Kauaʻi County since 2018, announced his run for lieutenant governor alongside his wife, Monica, and daughter, Hailee, during a press conference on March 17.
In a statement to Kaua’i Now on Tuesday, Kawakami said that public service has been the honor of his life.
“That is why I’m joining this race, for every family in Hawaiʻi struggling with the cost of living, every young person wondering if they can afford a home of their own, and every community that deserves a government that works for them,” he said. “This campaign is about bringing people together and building a better future for Hawaiʻi.”
Kawakami is running as a Democrat and is the first person to officially file to run for lieutenant governor. There currently are five other people who have pulled papers to run for Hawaii’s second-highest position: former Deputy Attorney General John Choi, Shaena Dela Cruz, Mike Peacock, Ku Lono Cuadra and Robert Peters, who ran for election to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs in 2022 but lost in the primary.
The filling deadline for the 2026 primary is June 2.
Choi announced his candidacy on April 24. It was the same day that Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke took an indefinite leave of absence without pay due to being linked to the ongoing public corruption case involving an alleged $35,000 bribe.
On April 23, Gov. Josh Green selected Keith Regan to serve as acting Lieutenant Governor. But Regan told the Hawaiʻi Journalism Initiative he is more an operations guy than a politician and does not plan to run for the permanent position. He currently continues to serve as the state’s comptroller and director of the Department of Accounting and General Services.
During a press conference back on March 17, Kawakami reiterated that his run is rooted in the belief that government should serve residents, citing efforts to improve infrastructure, expand affordable housing, and modernize county services.
He also cited initiatives such as reducing wait times at the Department of Motor Vehicles and partnering with the private sector to deliver lower-cost housing, including single-family homes priced below $500,000 at the Lima Ola development.
He also pointed to policies aimed at easing the burden on local residents, including shifting more financial responsibility to visitors and investing in public spaces and services for kūpuna and veterans.
To see Kawakami’s latest campaign finance disclosure report as of Dec. 31, click here.
Mayor Kawakami has previously served on the Kauaʻi County Council from 2008 to 2011 and from 2016 to 2018. In between, he served as a member of the Hawaiʻi House of Representatives from April 4, 2011, to Nov. 8, 2016.
The Hawai’i primary election is scheduled for August 2026, with the general election to follow in November.
