Hawaii’s Democratic Gov. Green Wins Primary, Advances to General Election Matchup

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green secured a commanding victory in Saturday’s Democratic primary, defeating three challengers with minimal political profiles or campaign resources. Green, who first took office in 2022, entered the contest with a 56% approval rating and commanded overwhelming financial advantages over his opponents.

The governor’s primary triumph virtually assures his re-election in November, given Hawaii’s strong Democratic lean and the Cook Political Report’s assessment that the race favors the Democratic Party by 13 points. Hawaii has not elected a Republican governor since Linda Lingle departed in 2010.

Green’s three primary opponents—David “Duke” Bourgoin, George “Teva” Lucas-Tadeo, and Lauren Kapoliahiʻiaka Shim—failed to gain traction with voters or fundraisers. Bourgoin, who ran against Green in 2022 and lost decisively with just 590 votes compared to Green’s 158,161, also suffered defeats in separate Honolulu mayoral races. Neither Lucas-Tadeo nor Shim maintained campaign websites, and none of the challengers had raised funds by June 30, according to Honolulu Civil Beat.

Green’s campaign substantially outpaced all competitors, amassing approximately $3.5 million in contributions. Republican nominee Gary Cordery, the second-largest fundraiser in the race, had collected roughly $313,000 as of the same reporting deadline.

Green attributed his commanding primary performance to his administration’s response to major crises, including the 2023 Lahaina wildfire that killed 102 people and March flooding that caused over $1 billion in damage. He told Civil Beat that his effective crisis management and collaborative approach discouraged primary challengers from mounting serious campaigns against him.