The Ballot Brief
Hawaii
Candidate profile

Derek Kawakami

D · Hawaii · 2026

On the ballot

Lieutenant GovernorHawaii · 2026
Top priorities
  • Cost-of-living relief
  • Housing
  • Practical, community-level governance

Per the campaign site.

Biography

Derek Kawakami is a Democratic candidate for Hawaii lieutenant governor and the mayor of Kauai County since 2018. A former state legislator and county council member from a well-known Kauai business family, he is running in the August 8 Democratic primary with an emphasis on cost of living and practical local governance.

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Profile facts follow official election office filings and the sources cited in each biography. Official sources are the final word on who appears on your ballot.

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