Huge, Unprecedented Progressive Wins In Hawaii Over The Weekend

Kim Coco Iwamoto Ousted Speaker Scott Saiki

Saturday was primary day in Hawaii and there was one shocking result— progressive challenger Kim Coco Iwamoto narrowly beat House speaker Scott Saiki, after having failed to do so in 2020 and 2022. The solid blue Oahu district includes which includes Ala Moana, Kakaako and downtown Honolulu. Chad Blair and Blaze Lovell reported that Iwamoto edged Saiki 49.3% to 44.6%— 254 votes.

Saiki had served in the state House since 1994 and has been speaker since May 2017. Iwamoto, a progressive civil rights attorney and former school board member: “I wasn’t just campaigning against him. I was campaigning against the entire Democratic establishment.” After the general election Iwamoto will become the first openly transgender official to join the Hawaii House of Representatives. Homophobic maniac Tulsi Gabbard must be turning over in her political grave.

The Bernie folks, on the other hand, are jumping’ for joy! Our Hawaii sent out this press release on Sunday:

Running on Good Government Reform, Kim Coco Iwamoto Becomes First Person in US History to Defeat an Incumbent House Speaker in a Democratic Primary

By running on good government reform and populist economic issues, she headlines a slate of candidates who defeated Democratic establishment backed opponents, delivering a change mandate

With the final ballots tallied, voters made history last night in Hawai‘i’s elections by ending the reign of 30 year incumbent and 7 year House Speaker Scott Saiki in an election. According to an analysis by Our Hawai‘i, Saiki is the first State House Speaker in US history to be defeated in a Democratic Primary. Former Speaker Saiki’s almost 5-point defeat by trailblazing community leader, activist, and businesswoman Kim Coco Iwamoto comes after several years of Hawai‘i Democratic Party corruption scandals, indictments, convictions, arrests and general scrutiny and exposé on the role of pay-to-play politics in the Hawai‘i Legislature that Speaker Saiki governed over. Kim Coco Iwamoto centered her campaign on good governance reform like publicly financed elections and ending pay-to-play, and populist economic issues like rent relief.

If that wasn’t history-making enough, Iwamoto is also the first “out” transgender elected official in Hawai‘i’s history, winning popular support at a time when transgender and LGBTQ+ rights have been under attack in the US and gender identity has become the center of a culture war.

“The media made clear that my campaign was a referendum on good governance reform vs the status quo, and that’s how my victory should be viewed,” said Kim Coco Iwamoto, the Democratic Nominee for Hawaii House District 25 who unseated the 30 year incumbent and 7 year House Speaker Scott Saiki. “I wasn’t just running against the Speaker, I was running against the entire Democratic establishment. Just look at the donors to the Speaker and the other corporate- and establishment-backed candidates who lost their races last night. I hope that my victory inspires more people in Hawai‘i and around the world to run people-powered campaigns focused on the issues that matter to everyday people. With persistence and hard work, you can defeat giants.”

“Kim Coco Iwamoto is the first person in the history of the United States to defeat an incumbent Democratic Speaker of a State House in a Primary,” said Evan Weber, a co-founder and organizer with Our Hawaiʻi, who first backed Kim Coco Iwamoto in her 2022 campaign and faced public retaliation from Speaker Saiki as a result. “She did it running on an agenda to end corruption and promote good government, and because of that she will be known here in Hawai‘i— and around the world— as the Speaker Slayer. We’re hoping Hawai‘i House Democrats will follow the lead of the electorate and come together to choose a Speaker who represents change, not the status quo.”

Kim Coco Iwamoto headlines a group of candidates that won upset victories over the political establishment including Our Hawai‘i backed candidates and those who have taken The “Our Hawai‘i Pledge” to reject corporate PAC, lobbyist, and special interest money and back a progressive populist agenda, including:

• Ikaika Lardizabal Hussey a Native Hawaiian clean energy entrepreneur and labor organizer who defeated the spouse of an 18-year incumbent and the former House Vice-Speaker John Mizuno by an almost 22 point margin while being outraised and outspent;

• Tina Nakada Grandinetti an Okinawan community organizer, public policy expert, and housing advocate who defeated a candidate backed by the incumbent who had been in office for 46-years, Bertrand Kobayashi, as well as the other local representatives of the district, and was significantly outspent by; and

• Former Congressman Kai Kahele led his race for Office of Hawaiian Affairs by 17 points after a 2022 anti-establishment challenge for Governor against then-Lieutenant Governor Josh Green, and intentionally raised and spent no money in this campaign.

“This is a model for Democrats nationwide. From Kamala Harris to Kim Coco, we’re seeing that people are ready to vote for a new generation of leaders and reject corporate-aligned policies,” said Kaniela Ing, co-founder of Our Hawai‘i, 3-term Hawai‘i legislator, and national director of the Green New Deal Network where his organization has endorsed Kamala Harris for President. “When voters were given the chance to vote for change and a populist economic agenda in Hawai‘i’s election, they did. If Democrats replicate that result, and Our Hawai‘i’s model of supporting candidates to reject corporate influence, they can win big in November.”

Incoming Representatives hope Hawai‘i’s Democratic leadership will heed voters’ will.

“The results in my race in Honolulu and others across Hawai‘i in this election make clear that Hawai‘i’s voters are ready for a new generation of leadership,” said Hawai‘i House District 20 Democratic Nominee Tina Nakada Grandinetti. “In a crowded House race in an economically diverse district, voters chose a progressive vision centered on meeting the needs of working families and protecting the lands and waters that sustain us. People are ready for change and fresh perspectives, and myself and others are ready to serve.” 

“When I am in office I plan to work every day to make sure that the will of the voters expressed in my race in Kalihi last night results in real change they can feel and see,” added Hawai‘i House District 29 Democratic Nominee Ikaika Lardizabal Hussey. “I hope that my soon-to-be colleagues will join me in this turn from the status quo— from the bills we introduce, to who we select as our next Speaker. If Democrats want to be successful, we have to be the party of change and new ideas.”