As of 05/23/22, two weeks out from the filing deadline of June 7, – 9 of 51 candidates for the State House of Representatives and 10 of 25 State Senators are poised to get a “free ride” with no candidate running against them in either the Primary or the General election.

This information is gleaned from the Office of Elections “candidate filing reports” –

The filing deadline is June 7. All of the below names have “pulled papers” but not all have actually filed them.

You should expect last-minute shenanigans. It’s likely that other candidates will in fact jump into the race during the coming two weeks, and that some of these candidates may jump elsewhere into other races.

I suspect that a few of those listed below may not exactly appreciate me drawing attention to their free ride. They are only days away from possibly having no opponent and no campaign.

Some on the below list are politically solid because they serve their community well.

Others are more or less untouchable due to their longevity of service and the pervasive name recognition that brings to the table.

A few are perceived as being unbeatable due to their extensive campaign war chest. Senator Donovan Dela Cruz for example has a campaign bank balance exceeding $900,000 – 10x what a normal Senate Campaign requires and 20x what some of the others on the list have.

And yes, some are on this list because people in their districts either are not paying attention and/or no one is willing to step up to the task of running against them. Many will complain of course, but few will accept the call to run and serve.

The following are the districts where only a single candidate has pulled papers indicating their intent to run. Unless otherwise indicated all are incumbents.

Senate District #3 (Hawaii) Dru Mamo Kanuha

Senate District #4 (Hawaii) Herbert (Tim) Richards- (new district, no incumbent)

Senate District #5 (Maui) Gil S. Coloma Keith-Agaran

Senate District #10 (Oahu) True St. Thomas (incumbent Sen. Les Ihara has not pulled papers)

Senate District #12 (Oahu) Sharon Y. Moriwaki

Senate District #14 (Oahu) Donna Mercado Kim

Senate District #17 (Oahu) Donovan Dela Cruz

Senate District #18 (Oahu) Michelle N. Kidani

Senate District #21 (Oahu) Mike Gabbard

Senate District #24 (Oahu) Jarrett Keohokalole

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State House of Representatives

House District #1 (Hawaii) Mark M. Nakashima

House District #2 (Hawaii) Richard H.K. Onishi

House District #10 (Maui) Troy Hashimoto

House District #15 (Kauai) Nadine K. Nakamura

House District #16 (Kauai) James Kunane Tokioka

House District #18 (Oahu) Gene Ward

House District #23 (Oahu) Scott Y. Nishimoto

House District #31 (Oahu) Linda Ichiyama

House District #38 (Oahu) Lauren Cheape Matsumoto