{"id":791,"date":"2026-05-31T04:07:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T04:07:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=791"},"modified":"2026-05-31T04:07:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T04:07:09","slug":"hawaii-democrats-select-new-party-chair-to-focus-on-change-shared-values","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=791","title":{"rendered":"Hawaii Democrats select new party chair to focus on change, shared values"},"content":{"rendered":"
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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Democratic Party of Hawaii has elected a new chair, a key leadership role as Democrats prepare for the 2026 election cycle. <\/p>\n

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Party members gathered at their state convention Saturday at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, where many leaders emphasized the need for unity and to push back against the Trump administration.<\/p>\n

Delegates selected Makai Freitas as the new chair, who will focus on uniting the party ahead of this year\u2019s elections and responding to policies coming out of Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a big moment,\u201d Freitas said. \u201cI got a lot of support, and I am very appreciative of that. I am happy, excited, but now the work begins, so it\u2019s cautious optimism.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s about our shared values in Hawaii. Considering what\u2019s going on in the continent, it\u2019s more important than ever that we\u2019re united and fighting together for our causes,\u201d said State Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii.<\/p>\n

Freitas was up against Tina Marie Evan, and he won by a majority vote.<\/p>\n

Former chair Derek Turbin said it\u2019s been an honor to serve as the party chair for the past two years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been through so much,\u201d he said. \u201cI really believe I\u2019m leaving the Democratic Party of Hawaii in a better place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Democratic leaders spent the day discussing issues they said are top of mind for voters.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an opportunity for Democrats to gather statewide to have conversations about what\u2019s important to the people of Hawaii, to talk about affordability, cost of living, and also to talk about how do we hold our people, our leaders, accountable, both at the federal and state level,\u201d said State Rep. Della Au Belatti.<\/p>\n

Belatti recently dropped her campaign for Congress Thursday to run for lieutenant governor, bringing new competition to two major Democratic primary races.<\/p>\n

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Many also focused on the party\u2019s strategy heading into the midterm elections.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe feel very good about taking back the House or the Senate or maybe even both,\u201d Schatz said. \u201cPolling is good, but more importantly, we\u2019ve been able to recruit a diverse crop of candidates across the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Candidates seeking higher office in Hawaii also used the convention to rally support, while criticizing actions by the Trump administration.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think people across the country want change,\u201d said State Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole. \u201cThey\u2019re not happy with the price of gas, with the price of groceries. With another Middle East war and with the overreach from ICE and this Trump administration and the corruption. So there\u2019s a lot here to be excited about. People are pumped up and we\u2019re ready to fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keohokalole is running against incumbent U.S. Rep. Ed Case, who some Democrats consider too moderate.<\/p>\n

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Several speakers specifically raised concerns about federal actions affecting Native Hawaiian programs and institutions, <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re really focused on protecting the Native Hawaiian community because obviously the Trump administration has decided to really do a full-fledged attack against Native Hawaiian institutions and people and programs,\u201d Schatz said. \u201cSo we\u2019ve got to come together and protect what we already have and build upon it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Party leaders said Saturday\u2019s election marks the beginning of organizing efforts ahead of the 2026 elections. <\/p>\n

As the newly elected chair, Freitas will now help guide the party\u2019s strategy, fundraising and candidate support efforts moving forward.<\/p>\n

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<\/div>\n

Previous coverage<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Delegates selected Makai Freitas as the new chair, who will focus on uniting the party ahead of this year\u2019s elections and responding to policies coming out of Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":790,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nHawaii Democrats select new party chair to focus on change, shared values - Hawaii Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=791\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hawaii Democrats select new party chair to focus on change, shared values - 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