2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii

The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii were held on November 3, 2020, to elect the two U.S. representatives from the state of Hawaii, one from each of the state's two congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. The state's primary elections were held on August 8, 2020.

2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii

← 2018 November 3, 2020 2022 →
All 2 Hawaii seats to the United States House of Representatives
Turnout	63.3% 12.7 pp
Majority party Minority party   Party Democratic Republican Last election 2 0 Seats won 2 0 Seat change Popular vote 354,762 155,215 Percentage 67.38% 29.48% Swing 7.93% 6.63%
District results County results Democratic   60–70%   70–80%

Beginning with the 2020 election cycle, per Act 136, Session Laws of Hawaii 2019, all state elections are conducted by mail.^[1]

Overview

District

Results of the 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii by district:^[2]

District	Democratic		Republican		Others		Total		Result
	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%
District 1	183,245	72.02%	71,188	27.98%	0	0.00%	254,433	100.00%	Democratic hold
District 2	171,517	63.01%	84,027	30.87%	16,558	6.08%	272,102	100.00%	Democratic hold
Total	354,762	67.38%	155,215	29.48%	16,558	3.14%	526,535	100.00%

Popular vote Democratic   67.38% Republican   29.48% Other   3.14%

House seats Democratic   100.00%

District 1

See also: Hawaii's 1st congressional district

The 1st district is located entirely on the island of Oahu, centering on Honolulu and the towns of, Aiea, Mililani, Pearl City, Waipahu and Waimalu. The incumbent was Democrat Ed Case, who was elected with 73.1% of the vote in 2018.^[3]

2020 Hawaii's 1st congressional district election

← 2018 November 3, 2020 (2020-11-03) 2022 →

Nominee Ed Case Ron Curtis Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 183,245 71,188 Percentage 72.0% 28.0%

Precinct results Case:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Curtis:      50–60%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Ed Case Democratic Elected U.S. Representative Ed Case Democratic

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Ed Case, incumbent U.S. representative^[4]

Primary results

Democratic primary results^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ed Case (incumbent)	131,802	100.0
Total votes			131,802	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Ron Curtis, engineer and nominee for U.S. Senate in 2018^[6]

Eliminated in primary

• James Dickens, salesman^[7]
• Nancy Olson, family nurse practitioner^[8]
• Arturo Reyes, perennial candidate^[6]
• Taylor Smith^[6]

Primary results

Republican primary results^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ron Curtis	13,909	41.1
	Republican	James Dickens	7,120	21.0
	Republican	Nancy Olson	6,665	19.7
	Republican	Arturo Reyes	4,301	12.7
	Republican	Taylor Smith	1,839	5.4
Total votes			33,834	100.0

Nonpartisan primary

According to the election laws of Hawaii, in order for nonpartisan candidates to appear on the general election ballot, they must receive at least 10% of votes cast (16,529 votes) or receive as many or more votes than any other candidate who won a partisan nomination (≥ 13,873 votes). Griffin failed to do either, and did not appear on the November ballot.^[9]

Candidates

Disqualified

• Calvin Griffin^[9]

Primary results

Nonpartisan primary results^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Calvin Griffin	2,324	100.0
Total votes			2,317	100.0

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[10]	Safe D	November 2, 2020
Inside Elections[11]	Safe D	October 28, 2020
Sabato's Crystal Ball[12]	Safe D	November 2, 2020
Politico[13]	Safe D	November 2, 2020
Daily Kos[14]	Safe D	November 2, 2020
RCP[15]	Safe D	November 2, 2020

Results

Hawaii's 1st congressional district election, 2020^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Ed Case (incumbent)	183,245	72.02%	−1.08%
	Republican	Ron Curtis	71,188	27.98%	+4.91%
Total votes			254,433	100.00%
	Democratic hold

District 2

See also: Hawaii's 2nd congressional district

2020 Hawaii's 2nd congressional district election

← 2018 November 3, 2020 (2020-11-03) 2022 →

Nominee Kai Kahele Joe Akana Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 171,517 84,027 Percentage 63.0% 30.9%

Precinct results Kahele:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Akana:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Tulsi Gabbard Democratic Elected U.S. Representative Kai Kahele Democratic

The 2nd district takes in rural and suburban Oahu, including Waimanalo Beach, Kailua, Kaneohe, Kahuku, Makaha, Nanakuli, as well as encompassing all the other islands of Hawaii, taking in Maui and Hilo. The incumbent was Democrat Tulsi Gabbard, who was reelected with 77.4% of the vote in 2018 and announced that she would run for President of the United States in 2020. Hawaii law permits candidates to run for both Congress and the presidency.^[17]

On October 25, 2019, Gabbard announced she would not seek reelection to focus on her presidential campaign.^[18] However, she suspended her campaign on March 19, 2020, after lower result ratings in the primaries and endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden's campaign.^[19] Hawaii's Office of Elections forbids candidate filing for any of the state's 2020 elections after June 2, 2020.^[20]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Kai Kahele, state senator^[17]

Defeated in primary

• Brian Evans, singer and Republican nominee for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district in 2018^[21]
• Noelle Famera, small business owner and activist^[22] (endorsed Hoomanawanui after the primary elections)^[23]
• Brenda Lee^[21][24]

Withdrawn

• David Cornejo, software engineer^[21][25]
• Ryan Meza, investor, entrepreneur, and a consultant (endorsed Famera)

Declined

• Alan Arakawa, former mayor of Maui^[26]
• Kirk Caldwell, mayor of Honolulu^[26]
• Bernard Carvalho, former mayor of Kauai^[27]
• Beth Fukumoto, former state representative^[26]
• Tulsi Gabbard, incumbent U.S. representative, former 2020 candidate for U.S. president^[28][19]
• Kaniela Ing, former state representative^[29]
• Donna Mercado Kim, state senator and former president of the Hawaii Senate^[26][30][31]
• Chris Lee, state representative^[32]
• Ernie Martin, former chair of the Honolulu City Council^[30][31]
• Jill Tokuda, former state senator^{[26][30][31][33]}

Endorsements

Kai Kahele

Federal officials

• Ed Case, U.S. representative^[34]
• Judy Chu, U.S. representative^[34]
• Jason Crow, U.S. representative^[34]
• Chrissy Houlahan, U.S. representative^[34]
• Pramila Jayapal, U.S. representative^[34]
• Hakeem Jeffries, U.S. representative^[34]
• Seth Moulton, U.S. representative^[34]
• Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States^[35]
• Mark Pocan, U.S. representative^[34]
• Max Rose, U.S. representative^[34]
• Brian Schatz, U.S. senator from Hawaii^[34]
• Brad Sherman, U.S. representative^[34]
• Mikie Sherrill, U.S. representative^[34]
• Mark Takano, U.S. representative^[34]

State officials

• Neil Abercrombie, former governor of Hawaii^[34]
• Ben Cayetano, former governor of Hawaii^[34]
• John D. Waiheʻe III, former governor of Hawaii^[34]

State legislators

• Joy San Buenaventura, state representative^[34]
• Stanley Chang, state senator^[34]
• Stacelynn Kehaulani Eli, state representative^[34]
• Kurt Fevella, state senator^[34]
• Cedric Gates, state representative^[34]
• Kaniela Ing, former state representative^[36]
• Dru Kanuha, state senator^[34]
• Jarrett Keohokalole, state senator^[34]
• Michelle Kidani, state senator^[34]
• Ron Kouchi, President of the Hawaii Senate^[34]
• Clarence Nishihara, state senator^[34]
• Gil Riviere, state senator^[34]
• Maile Shimabukuro, state senator^[34]
• Chris Toshiro Todd, state representative^[34]
• Tina Wildberger, state representative^[34]

Other individuals

• Ikaika Anderson, chair of the Honolulu City Council^[34]
• Bernard Carvalho, former mayor of Kauai^[34]
• Howard Dean, former governor of Vermont^[34]
• Neera Tanden, president of Center for American Progress and Hillary Clinton campaign adviser^[36][37]
• Shan Tsutsui, former lieutenant governor of Hawaii^[34]

Organizations

• ASPIRE PAC^[34]
• Congressional Black Caucus^[34]
• Congressional Progressive Caucus^[34]
• Daily Kos^[34]
• Human Rights Campaign^[38]
• League of Conservation Voters^[39]
• Planned Parenthood^[34]
• Serve America PAC^[34]

Unions

• Hawaiian Airlines Pilots ALPA MEC^[40]
• Hawaii Masons Union, Local 1^[40]
• HGEA AFSCME, Local 152^[40]
• International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers, Local 625^[40]
• International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Local 142^[40]
• Spirit Airlines Pilots ALPA MEC^[40]

Hypothetical polling

Tulsi Gabbard vs. Kai Kahele

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size[a]	Margin of error	Tulsi Gabbard	Kai Kahele	Undecided
Public Policy Polling[41]	September 27–29, 2019	990 (V)	±  3.4%	48%	26%	27%

Tulsi Gabbard vs. Generic Opponent

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size[a]	Margin of error	Tulsi Gabbard	Generic Opponent	Undecided
Public Policy Polling[41]	September 27–29, 2019	990 (V)	±  3.4%	38%	50%	11%

Primary results

2020 Hawaii's 2nd congressional district Democratic primary results by county

Map legend

•   Kahele—70–80%
•   No data

Democratic primary results^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Kai Kahele	100,841	76.5
	Democratic	Brian Evans	12,337	9.3
	Democratic	Brenda Lee	10,694	8.1
	Democratic	Noelle Famera	7,992	6.1
Total votes			131,864	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Joe Akana, U.S. Air Force veteran^[42]

Defeated in primary

• Steven Bond^[6]
• Karla Bart Gottschalk, retired civil rights lawyer and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2016^[43]
• David Hamman, locksmith^[44]
• Elise Hatsuko Kaneshiro^[45]
• Nicholas Love, pastor^[6]
• Robert Nagamine, former lieutenant colonel in the Hawaii Air National Guard^[6]
• Raymond Quel, security protection specialist^[6]
• Felipe San Nicolas, former telecommunications manager^[6]

Declined

• Samuel Wilder King II, attorney^[26]
• Steve Rousseau^[46]

Primary results

2020 Hawaii's 2nd congressional district Republican primary results by county

Map legend

•   Akana—40–50%
•   Akana—30–40%
•   No data

Republican primary results^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joe Akana	15,107	44.1
	Republican	Elise Kaneshiro	5,294	15.5
	Republican	David Hamman	3,430	10.0
	Republican	Robert Nagamine	2,887	8.4
	Republican	Nicholas Love	2,616	7.6
	Republican	Steven Bond	2,218	6.5
	Republican	Felipe San Nicolas	1,465	4.3
	Republican	Karla Bart Gottschalk	953	2.8
	Republican	Raymond Quel	305	0.9
Total votes			34,275	100.0

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Michelle Rose Tippens, executive director and Libertarian nominee for Hawaii's 1st congressional district in 2018^[47]

Primary results

Libertarian primary results^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Libertarian	Michelle Rose Tippens	1,014	100.0
Total votes			1,014	100.0

American Shopping primary

Candidates

Nominee

• John Giuffre, perennial candidate^[48]

Primary results

American Shopping primary results^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	American Shopping	John Giuffre	134	100.0
Total votes			134	100.0

Aloha Aina primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Jonathan Hoomanawanui, VFW service officer^[49]

Primary results

Aloha ʻĀina primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Aloha ʻĀina	Jonathan Hoomanawanui	3,423	100.0
Total votes			3,423	100.0

Nonpartisan primary

According to election laws of Hawaii, in order for nonpartisan candidates to appear on the general election ballot, they had to receive at least 10% of votes cast (17,049 votes) or receive as many or more votes than any other candidate that won a partisan nomination (≥ 133 votes). Burrus fulfilled the latter requirement and was on the November ballot.^[9]

Candidates

Nominee

• Ron Burrus, analyst^[50]

Eliminated in primary

• Byron McCorriston, entrepreneur^[51]

Primary results

Nonpartisan primary results^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Ron Burrus	1,308	59.2
	Nonpartisan	Byron McCorriston	901	40.8
Total votes			2,209	100.0

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[10]	Safe D	November 2, 2020
Inside Elections[11]	Safe D	October 28, 2020
Sabato's Crystal Ball[12]	Safe D	November 2, 2020
Politico[13]	Safe D	November 2, 2020
Daily Kos[14]	Safe D	November 2, 2020
RCP[15]	Safe D	November 2, 2020

Results

Hawaii's 2nd congressional district election, 2020^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Kai Kahele	171,517	63.01%	−14.35%
	Republican	Joe Akana	84,027	30.87%	+8.23%
	Libertarian	Michelle Rose Tippens	6,785	2.49%	N/A
	Aloha ʻĀina	Jonathan Hoomanawanui	6,453	2.37%	N/A
	Nonpartisan	Ron Burrus	2,659	0.98%	N/A
	American Shopping	John Giuffre	661	0.24%	N/A
Total votes			272,192	100.00%
	Democratic hold

See also

• 2020 Hawaii elections

Notes

1. Key:
   A – all adults
   RV – registered voters
   LV – likely voters
   V – unclear