Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 9
Gary Cordery Wins Hawaii GOP Nomination, Challenging $3.5 Million-Funded Josh Green
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 9

Gary Cordery Wins Hawaii GOP Nomination, Challenging $3.5 Million-Funded Josh Green

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 9

Summary

  • Gary Cordery defeated Ken Fujiyama in Saturday’s Republican primary and will face Democratic Gov. Josh Green in November.
  • A 56% approval rating for Green, a Cook Political Report rating of Solid Democratic and Hawaii’s D+13 partisan lean leave Cordery as a clear underdog.
  • Fundraising underscores that gap: Green has raised about $3.5 million versus roughly $313,000 for Cordery, a contracting-company owner.
  • Cordery is campaigning on lowering living costs, adding 15,000 homes priced around $400,000 to $600,000, ending the general excise tax on food and medicine, and ordering audits of state spending.
  • Hawaii has not elected a Republican governor since Linda Lingle left office in 2010, making the race a test of whether cost-of-living concerns can dent long Democratic dominance.

Insights

Can eliminating the General Excise Tax on food solve affordability without severely underfunding Hawaii's public education system?
How will Hawaii balance the push for 15,000 new homes with the ecological limits of its island environment?
Will transitioning state land to fee-simple ownership finally break the cycle of exorbitant housing costs for local families?