{"id":889,"date":"2026-06-03T09:03:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T09:03:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=889"},"modified":"2026-06-03T09:03:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T09:03:51","slug":"unopposed-races-scattered-across-hawaiis-primary-election-ballot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=889","title":{"rendered":"Unopposed races scattered across Hawaii\u2019s primary election ballot"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<section>\n<p>HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) &#8211; Hawaii News Now reviewed more than 100 candidates running for state legislative and county council seats and found about 23 are running unopposed in the upcoming primary election.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=887\">Flood debris, trash choke Pearl City stream weeks after storms<\/a><\/p>\n<p>That means they will advance automatically and win their races without opposition.<\/p>\n<p>Among them are some of the state\u2019s most powerful political figures, including Senate President Ron Kouchi and House Speaker Nadine Nakamura.<\/p>\n<p>Political analyst Colin Moore said the lack of competition for high-ranking incumbents raises concerns about accountability.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt is concerning when you have people who are that influential who aren\u2019t going to face a challenger,\u201d Moore said. \u201cMany viewers might be surprised to learn that two of the legislators they probably recognize the most don\u2019t have to campaign for their seats.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Other incumbents also advancing without opposition include Honolulu City Council members Matt Weyer and Val Okimoto.<\/p>\n<p>Moore said uncontested council races are particularly notable given the body\u2019s influence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe council has taken some controversial positions this year,\u201d he said. \u201cBeing a member of the Honolulu City Council makes you one of the most powerful political actors in the whole state. There\u2019s only nine members.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=885\">Couch blamed in \u2018devastating\u2019 Kaimuki fire that killed family pets<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Just two of the 23 unopposed candidates are Republicans: state Reps. Lauren Matsumoto Cheape and David Alcos III.<\/p>\n<p>Alcos said the lack of opposition is unusual but emphasized continued public engagement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m going to have to learn from this experience,\u201d Alcos said. \u201cIt\u2019s a free seat, but I do always work hard in everything that I do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He added that contested elections are important for the democratic process.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI definitely would like to have people running and always be involved, whether it\u2019s a Democrat, Republican, or no matter what party it is. I encourage everyone to continue running.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Other unopposed candidates include several longtime Democratic incumbents across the Legislature.<\/p>\n<p>Moore said the absence of challengers weakens electoral accountability.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf they don\u2019t have to face an election, then there really is far less accountability,\u201d he said. \u201cWe really do need incumbents to face challengers to explain their positions and to have to go through that experience of campaigning and asking for their constituents\u2019 votes.\u201d<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Ballots for Hawaii\u2019s mail-in primary election will be sent to registered voters ahead of primary Election Day on Saturday, Aug. 8.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=883\">Campbell track champ adds Hall of Honor to record-breaking run<\/a><\/p>\n<h1>Unopposed candidates in Hawaii primary election<\/h1>\n<h2>State Senate<\/h2>\n<h2>State House of Representatives<\/h2>\n<h2>Hawaii County Council<\/h2>\n<div><\/div>\n<h2>Maui County Council<\/h2>\n<h2>Honolulu City Council<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>About 23 candidates in Hawaii\u2019s primary are running unopposed, including Senate President Ron Kouchi and House Speaker Nadine Nakamura.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":888,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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