2026 Hawaii Senate election
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November 3, 2026
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13 of the 25 seats in the Hawaii Senate 13 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Hawaii |
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The 2026 Hawaii Senate election is scheduled to be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, to elect 13 of 25 representatives to serve four-year terms in the Hawaii Senate. Partisan primaries will take place on August 8, 2026.[1] Democrats currently hold a veto-proof supermajority in the chamber.
State senators in Hawaii represent an average of 58,405 residents as of the 2020 United States census.[2] If a primary or general election in a district sees only one candidate file, no election will be held. Four general elections in 2024 were canceled due to lack of competition.
Summary
By district
†: Incumbent not running for reelection. ‡: Special election.
| District | Incumbent | Party | Elected Senator | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd | Joy San Buenaventura | Dem | TBD | |||
| 5th | Troy Hashimoto | Dem | TBD | |||
| 8th | Ron Kouchi | Dem | TBD | |||
| 9th | Stanley Chang | Dem | TBD | |||
| 10th | Les Ihara Jr. | Dem | TBD | |||
| 11th | Carol Fukunaga | Dem | TBD | |||
| 13th | Karl Rhoads† | Dem | TBD | |||
| 14th | Donna Mercado Kim | Dem | TBD | |||
| 15th | Glenn Wakai | Dem | TBD | |||
| 17th | Donovan Dela Cruz | Dem | TBD | |||
| 18th | Danielle Bass‡ | Dem | TBD | |||
| 19th | Rachele Lamosao‡ | Dem | TBD | |||
| 20th | Kurt Fevella | Rep | TBD | |||
| 21st | Mike Gabbard | Dem | TBD | |||
| 25th | Chris Lee | Dem | TBD | |||
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[3] | Safe D | January 22, 2026 |
Background
| District | County | Reg. voters (2022)[4] | 2022 vote | 2024 pres.[5] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd | Hawaii | 31,110 | D+43.9 | D+26.9 |
| 5th | Maui | 34,796 | D+Unopp.[b] | D+24.7 |
| 8th | Kauaʻi | 48,494 | D+48.3 | D+19.5 |
| 9th | Honolulu | 39,591 | D+40.5 | D+36.7 |
| 10th | Honolulu | 32,962 | D+34.0 | D+42.5 |
| 11th | Honolulu | 34,811 | D+50.6 | D+46.1 |
| 13th | Honolulu | 30,596 | D+42.4 | D+34.7 |
| 14th | Honolulu | 26,267 | D+47.1 | D+18.1 |
| 15th | Honolulu | 31,254 | D+35.4 | D+14.0 |
| 17th | Honolulu | 34,101 | D+30.4 | D+15.6 |
| 20th | Honolulu | 31,964 | R+Unopp. | R+4.8 |
| 21st | Honolulu | 33,170 | D+17.8 | R+4.2 |
| 25th | Honolulu | 40,051 | D+40.6 | D+30.2 |
Retiring incumbents
Democrats
- District 13: Karl Rhoads is retiring.[6]
- District 18: Michelle Kidani retired on June 30, 2026; Danielle Bass was appointed in August 2026 to serve the rest of her term.[7]
Incumbents defeated
In Primary Election
- District 10: Les Ihara Jr. lost renomination to Jackson Sayama.[8]
- District 43: Kurt Fevella lost renomination to Bob McDermott.[9]
Detailed results
District 2
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Incumbent Democrat Joy San Buenaventura was re-elected in 2022 with 69.74% of the vote. She is running for re-election.
Democratic primary
Nominee
- Joy San Buenaventura, incumbent senator[10]
Defeated
- Tanya Yamanaka Aynessazian
Third-party and independent candidates
Filed
District 5
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Incumbent Democrat Troy Hashimoto was elected in a 2024 special election unopposed. He is unopposed in the primary and general elections.
Democratic primary
Nominee
- Troy Hashimoto, incumbent senator
District 8
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Incumbent Democrat Ron Kouchi was re-elected in 2022 with 71.41% of the vote. Although previously signaling he would retire, Kouchi instead announced he would run for re-election.[11] He is unopposed in the primary and general elections.
Democratic primary
Nominee
- Ron Kouchi, incumbent senator (2010–present)[11]
Declined
- Derek Kawakami, mayor of Kauaʻi County (2018–present) (running for lieutenant governor)[11]
District 9
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Incumbent Democrat Stanley Chang was re-elected in 2022 with 70.27% of the vote. He faces Republican David A. Croswell in the general election.
Democratic primary
Nominee
- Stanley Chang, incumbent senator
Republican primary
Nominee
- David A. Croswell
District 10
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Incumbent Democrat Les Ihara Jr. was re-elected in 2022 with 66.98% of the vote. He was defeated for re-nomination by state representative Jackson Sayama, who is unopposed in the general election.
Democratic primary
Nominee
- Jackson Sayama, state representative (2020–present) from the 21st district (2022–present) and the 20th district (2020–2022)[10]
Eliminated
- Les Ihara Jr., incumbent senator
District 11
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Incumbent Democrat Carol Fukunaga was elected in 2022 with 75.31% of the vote. She is unopposed in the primary and general elections.
Democratic primary
Nominee
- Carol Fukunaga, incumbent senator
District 13
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Incumbent Democrat Karl Rhoads was re-elected in 2022 with 64.36% of the vote. He is retiring.[6]
Democratic primary
Nominee
- Tricia Kwai Lin Nakamatsu[10]
Eliminated
- Lei Ahu Isa, former at-large member of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (2014–2022) and former state representative (1996–2002)[10]
- Jordan K. Nakamura[10]
- James Logue
- Lynn Vasquez, nominee for the 27th state house district in 2010[10]
Declined
- Karl Rhoads, incumbent senator
Republican primary
Nominee
- Wallyn Kanoelani Christian, candidate for the 27th state house district in 2024, candidate for U.S. Senate in 2022[10]
District 14
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Incumbent Democrat Donna Mercado Kim was re-elected in 2022 with 73.57% of the vote. She is running for re-election.
Democratic primary
Nominee
- Donna Mercado Kim, incumbent senator[10]
Eliminated
- Christy Kikue MacPherson[10]
District 15
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Incumbent Democrat Glenn Wakai was re-elected in 2022 with 67.69% of the vote. He is unopposed in the primary and general elections.
Democratic primary
Nominee
- Glenn Wakai, incumbent senator
District 17
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Incumbent Democrat Donovan Dela Cruz was re-elected in 2022 with 65.20% of the vote. He defeated Nani H. Brown in the primary election and is unopposed in the general election.
Democratic primary
Nominee
- Donovan Dela Cruz, incumbent senator
Eliminated
- Nani H. Brown[10]
District 18 (special)
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Incumbent Democrat Danielle Bass was appointed effective August 2026 after Michelle Kidani, who was re-elected in 2024 with 61.7% of the vote, resigned in June 2026. A special election to fill the remainder of her term will be held concurrent with regularly scheduled general election on November 3.[12][13]
Democratic primary
Applied
- Danielle Bass, appointed senator
- Beth Fukumoto, former Republican state representative
- Sechyi Laiu, attorney
Republican primary
Nominee
- Kelly Kitashima, hotel manager and candidate for the Honolulu City Council in 2018 and 2020[14]
Declined
- Lauren Cheape Matsumoto, state representative from the 39th district (2022–present)[10]
District 19 (special)
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Incumbent Democrat Rachele Lamosao was appointed effective January 2026 after Henry Aquino, who was re-elected in 2024 unopposed, resigned in November 2025. A special election to fill the remaining two years of his term will be held concurrent with regularly scheduled primary elections on August 8.[15]
Democratic primary
Nominee
- Rachele Lamosao, incumbent senator
Eliminated
- Inam Rahman
Republican primary
Nominee
- Elijah Pierick, state representative from the 39th district (2022–present)[10]
District 20
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Incumbent Republican Kurt Fevella was re-elected in 2022 unopposed. He is running for re-election. McDermott was selected as the Republican nominee following a tie breaking drawing.[9]
Republican primary
Nominee
- Bob McDermott, former state representative (1996–2002, 2012–2022), nominee for U.S. Senate in 2022 and 2024[10]
Eliminated
- Rida Cabanilla Arakawa, former Democratic state representative (2004–2014, 2018–2020)
- Kurt Fevella, incumbent senator[10]
Democratic primary
Nominee
- Markus Owens, realtor[10]
District 21
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Incumbent Democrat Mike Gabbard was re-elected in 2022 with 58.89% of the vote. He is unopposed in the primary and general elections.
Democratic primary
Nominee
- Mike Gabbard, incumbent senator[10]
District 25
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Incumbent Democrat Chris Lee was re-elected in 2022 with 70.30% of the vote. He defeated Bobby Silva in the Democratic primary election and is unopposed in the general election.
Democratic primary
Nominee
- Chris Lee, incumbent senator
Eliminated
- Bobby Silva
See also
Notes
- ↑ Of districts last up in 2022
- ↑ District 5 had a special election in 2024, but it was also unopposed.
References
- ↑ "Contest Schedule". State of Hawaii Office of Elections. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
- ↑ "Population represented by state legislators". Ballotpedia. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
- ↑ Jacobson, Louis (January 22, 2026). "Handicapping The 2026 State Legislative Map: A First Look". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
- ↑ "Hawaii 2022 General Election - Turnout by State Senate District". ArcGIS. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
- ↑ "HI 2022 State Senate". Dave's Redistricting. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
- 1 2 "The Sunshine Blog: This Longtime Hawaiʻi Senator Is Calling It Quits". Honolulu Civil Beat. November 2, 2025. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
- ↑ Honolulu, Michael Tsai. "State Sen. Michelle Kidani retires from Senate". spectrumlocalnews.com. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
- ↑ Staff, H. N. N. (August 10, 2026). "Longtime state Sen. Les Ihara Jr. concedes District 10 seat to Jackson Sayama". www.hawaiinewsnow.com. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
- 1 2 Gomes, Andrew (August 16, 2026). "2 incumbent Hawaii lawmakers lose to challengers in primary tie-breakers". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved August 16, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "2026 Candidate Report". Hawaii Office of Elections. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "The Sunshine Blog: Kouchi's Running After All. So What Will Kawakami Do?". Civil Beat. August 17, 2025. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
- ↑ "State Senate district 18 proclamation". Hawaii Office of Elections. July 1, 2026. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
- ↑ Blair, Chad (August 7, 2026). "Is This Any Way To Choose A State Senator?". Honolulu Civil Beat. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Hawaii GOP names candidate for open state Senate seat". Hawaii News Now. August 12, 2026. Retrieved August 14, 2026.
- ↑ "The Sunshine Blog: Choices To Replace Sen. Henry Aquino Are, Uh, Interesting". Honolulu Civil Beat. October 12, 2025. Retrieved December 26, 2025.
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