2016 Honolulu mayoral election

The 2016 Honolulu mayoral election determined the Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu for the full term commencing in January 2017. As in the previous several elections, Skyline and its cost overruns was a major topic of the campaign.

2016 Honolulu mayoral election

← 2012 August 13, 2016 (2016-08-13) (primary) November 8, 2016 (2016-11-08) (runoff) 2020 →

Nominee Kirk Caldwell Charles Djou Peter Carlisle First round 74,057 43.7% 72,520 42.8% 15,539 9.2% Runoff 147,885 52.2% 135,662 47.8% Eliminated

First round precinct results Runoff state house district results Runoff precinct results Caldwell:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Djou:      50–60%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      No votes

Mayor before election Kirk Caldwell Democratic Elected mayor Kirk Caldwell Democratic

Incumbent Democratic Mayor Kirk Caldwell ran for re-election to a second term. A non-partisan blanket primary was held on Saturday, August 13, 2016. As no candidate received an outright majority of the vote in the primary, the top-two finishers, Caldwell and former Republican U.S. Representative Charles Djou, advanced to the general election runoff on Tuesday, November 8, 2016;^[1][2] Caldwell won with 52 percent of the vote, to Djou's 48 percent.^[3]

Candidates

• Kirk Caldwell, incumbent Mayor of Honolulu (voter registration: Democratic)
• Charles Djou, former U.S. Representative and former Honolulu City Councilman^[4] (voter registration: Republican)

Eliminated

• Kurt Baker
• Zachary Burd
• Ernest Caravalho
• Peter Carlisle, former Mayor of Honolulu^[5] (voter registration: Independent)
• Lawrence Friedman
• Tim Garry
• Ronald Hochuli
• Lillian Hong
• Angela Kaaihue (ran instead for, and received the Republican nomination as, U.S. Representative for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district^[6])
• Mike Powers
• Joseph Wargo

Endorsements

Kirk Caldwell

Politicians

• George Ariyoshi, former Governor and Lt. Governor^[7]
• David Ige, Hawaii Governor^[7]

Unions

• Hawaii Construction Alliance^[8]
• Hawaii Government Employees Association^[9]
• International Longshore and Warehouse Union Hawaii Longshore Division^[10]
• State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers (SHOPO)^[11]

Charles Djou

Politicians

• Duke Aiona, former Lt. Governor^[12]
• Ben Cayetano, former Governor and Lt. Governor^[10]
• Walter Meheula Heen, Judge and former Chair of the Democratic Party of Hawaii^[10]
• Ann Kobayashi, Honolulu City Council member and former Hawaii State Senator^[10]

Unions

• International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers, Local 132^[13]
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 1186^[13]
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 1260^[13]
• International Union of Elevator Constructors, Local 126^[13]
• Plumbers and Fitters Union, Local 675^[13]

Primary

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Kirk Caldwell	Peter Carlisle	Charles Djou	Undecided
Hawaii News Now – Star-Advertiser[14]	June–July, 2016	401	± 4.9%	30%	15%	39%	9%

Primary results

Honolulu mayoral primary election, August 13, 2016^[15]

Candidate		Votes	%
Kirk Caldwell (incumbent)		74,057	43.7%
Charles Djou		72,520	42.8%
Peter Carlisle		15,539	9.2%
Blank Votes		3,440	2.0%
Lillian Lai Wam Wang Hong		1,140	0.7%
Ernest Caravalho		781	0.5%
Ronald E. Hochuli		635	0.4%
Kurt Baker		360	0.2%
Lawrence Friedman		346	0.2%
Mike Powers		317	0.2%
Tim Garry		210	0.1%
Zachary B. Burd		97	0.1%
Over votes		72	0.0%
Total votes		169,514	100%

General election

Results

Caldwell won reelection on November 8, 2016, in the runoff with Djou, 52.2% to 47.8%.^[3] Though both candidates supported the municipal rail project, substantial cost overruns were an issue, as was Caldwell's alleged interference with the Ethics Commission.^[16]