Governor of Hawaii
| Hawaii Governor | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Partisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Compensation: | $184,860 |
| 2026 FY Budget: | $5,276,872 |
| Term limits: | 2 consecutive terms |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | Hawaii Constitution, Article V, Section 1 |
| Selection Method: | Elected |
| Current Officeholder(s) | |
Governor of Hawaii
Joshua Green | |
| Elections | |
| Next election: | 2026 |
| Last election: | 2022 |
| Other Hawaii Executive Offices | |
| Governor•Lieutenant Governor•Attorney General•Director of Finance•Auditor•Superintendent of Education•Agriculture Commissioner•Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs•Chairperson of Land and Natural Resources•Director of Labor and Industrial Relations•Public Utilities Commission | |
The Governor of the State of Hawaii, also called Ke Kiaaina o Hawaii, is an elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch and the highest state office in Hawaii. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state. The governor is elected by a plurality and is limited to two consecutive four-year terms.[1]
Hawaii has a Democratic trifecta. The Democratic Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature.
Hawaii has a Democratic triplex. The Democratic Party controls the offices of governor and attorney general.
Current officeholder
The current Governor of Hawaii is Joshua Green (D). Green assumed office in 2022.
Authority
The state constitution establishes the office of the governor in Article V, the Executive Department.
Hawaii Constitution, Article V, Section 1
|
The executive power of the State shall be vested in a governor.[1] |
Qualifications
| State Executives |
|---|
 |
| Current Governors |
| Gubernatorial Elections |
| 2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 |
| Current Lt. Governors |
| Lt. Governor Elections |
| 2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 |
A governor is:
- required to be at least 30 years old,
- required to have been a resident of Hawaii for five consecutive years previous to election,
- barred from other professions or paid positions during the term.
Hawaii Constitution, Article V, Section 1
|
No person shall be eligible for the office of governor unless the person shall be a qualified voter, have attained the age of thirty years and have been a resident of this State for five years immediately preceding the person's election. The governor shall not hold any other office or employment of profit under the State or the United States during the governor's term of office.[1] |
Elections
- See also: Gubernatorial election cycles by state
- See also: Election of governors
Hawaii elects governors in the midterm elections, that is, even years that are not presidential election years. For Hawaii, 2018, 2022, 2026, 2030, and 2034 are all gubernatorial election years.
Hawaii's governor is not only the youngest chief executive's office in the United States, by date, it is tied with Alaska as the earliest inaugural date in the nation. The inauguration is always held at noon on the first Monday in December following an election.
Hawaii is one of only two states, the other being Tennessee, where the governor is the only statewide elected office.
Term limits
- See also: States with gubernatorial term limits
Hawaii governors are restricted to two consecutive terms in office, after which they must wait one term before being eligible to run again.
Hawaii Constitution, Section V, Section 1
| No person shall be elected to the office of governor for more than two consecutive full terms.[1] |
Partisan composition
The chart below shows the partisan breakdown of Hawaii governors from 1992 to 2013.
Election results
See also: Hawaii gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2030
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
See also: Hawaii gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2026
Hawaii gubernatorial election, 2026 (August 8 Democratic primary)
Hawaii gubernatorial election, 2026 (August 8 Republican primary)
Hawaii gubernatorial election, 2026 (August 8 Nonpartisan primary)
General election
The primary will occur on August 8, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for Governor of Hawaii
Incumbent Joshua Green (D), David Bourgoin (D), Lauren Kapoliahi'Iaka Shim (D), and George Lucas-Tadeo (D) are running in the Democratic primary for Governor of Hawaii on August 8, 2026.
| ||||
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Republican primary
Republican primary for Governor of Hawaii
Gary Cordery (R) and Ken Fujiyama (R) are running in the Republican primary for Governor of Hawaii on August 8, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Gary Cordery | |
| Ken Fujiyama | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary
Nonpartisan primary for Governor of Hawaii
John Giuffre (Nonpartisan), Bu Laia Hill (Nonpartisan), Clyde McClain Lewman (Nonpartisan), and Calvert Williamson (Nonpartisan) are running in the Nonpartisan primary for Governor of Hawaii on August 8, 2026.
| ||||
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See also: Hawaii gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022
General election
General election for Governor of Hawaii
Joshua Green (D) defeated Duke Aiona (R) in the general election for Governor of Hawaii on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Joshua Green (D) | 63.2 | 261,025 |
 | Duke Aiona (R) | 36.8 | 152,237 | |
| Total votes: 413,262 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary
Democratic primary for Governor of Hawaii
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Governor of Hawaii on August 13, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Joshua Green | 62.9 | 158,161 |
 | Vicky Cayetano | 20.9 | 52,447 | |
 | Kaiali'i Kahele | 15.0 | 37,738 | |
| Van Tanabe | 0.5 | 1,236 | ||
 | Richard Kim | 0.4 | 991 | |
| David Bourgoin | 0.2 | 590 | ||
 | Clyde McClain Lewman | 0.1 | 249 | |
| Total votes: 251,412 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Kirk Caldwell (D)
Republican primary
Republican primary for Governor of Hawaii
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Governor of Hawaii on August 13, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Duke Aiona | 49.6 | 37,608 |
 | BJ Penn | 26.1 | 19,817 | |
| | Gary Cordery | 10.9 | 8,258 | |
 | Heidi Tsuneyoshi | 9.6 | 7,255 | |
 | Lynn Barry Mariano | 1.2 | 903 | |
 | Paul Morgan | 1.0 | 796 | |
 | Keline-Kameyo Kahau | 0.6 | 469 | |
| Walter Woods | 0.6 | 438 | ||
| Moses Paskowitz | 0.2 | 189 | ||
| George Hawat | 0.2 | 140 | ||
| Total votes: 75,873 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Libertarian Party primary
The Libertarian Party primary scheduled for August 13, 2022, was canceled.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Frank Hinshaw (L)
- Gene Tamashiro (L)
Nonpartisan primary
Nonpartisan primary for Governor of Hawaii
No candidate advanced from the Nonpartisan primary for Governor of Hawaii on August 13, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| Keleionalani Taylor | 61.9 | 755 | ||
| Caleb Nazara | 38.1 | 464 | ||
| Total votes: 1,219 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
See also: Hawaii gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018
Hawaii gubernatorial election, 2018 (August 11 Democratic primary)
Hawaii gubernatorial election, 2018 (August 11 Republican primary)
General election
General election for Governor of Hawaii
Incumbent David Ige (D) defeated Andria Tupola (R), Jim Brewer (G), and Terrence Teruya (Nonpartisan) in the general election for Governor of Hawaii on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | David Ige (D) | 62.7 | 244,934 |
 | Andria Tupola (R) | 33.7 | 131,719 | |
| Jim Brewer (G) | 2.6 | 10,123 | ||
 | Terrence Teruya (Nonpartisan) | 1.0 | 4,067 | |
| Total votes: 390,8430 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for Governor of Hawaii
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Governor of Hawaii on August 11, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | David Ige | 51.4 | 124,572 |
 | Colleen Hanabusa | 44.4 | 107,631 | |
| Ernest Caravalho | 2.3 | 5,662 | ||
 | Wendell Ka'ehu'ae'a | 0.9 | 2,298 | |
| | Richard Kim | 0.6 | 1,576 | |
| Van Tanabe | 0.3 | 775 | ||
| Total votes: 242,514 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Clayton Hee (D)
Republican primary
Republican primary for Governor of Hawaii
Andria Tupola (R) defeated John Carroll (R) and Ray L'Heureux (R) in the Republican primary for Governor of Hawaii on August 11, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Andria Tupola | 55.5 | 17,297 |
 | John Carroll | 35.2 | 10,974 | |
 | Ray L'Heureux | 9.3 | 2,885 | |
| Total votes: 31,156 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Green Party primary
Green primary for Governor of Hawaii
Jim Brewer (G) advanced from the Green Party primary for Governor of Hawaii on August 11, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Jim Brewer | 100.0 | 454 | |
| Total votes: 454 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary
Nonpartisan primary for Governor of Hawaii
Terrence Teruya (Nonpartisan) defeated Selina Blackwell (Nonpartisan) and Link El (Nonpartisan) in the Nonpartisan primary for Governor of Hawaii on August 11, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Terrence Teruya | 47.7 | 543 |
| Selina Blackwell | 43.7 | 497 | ||
| Link El | 8.6 | 98 | ||
| Total votes: 1,138 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Vacancies
- See also: How gubernatorial vacancies are filled
Details of vacancies are addressed under Article V, Section 4 of the Hawaii Constitution.
The Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii becomes acting governor upon the governor's absence from the state or disability from discharging duties, either temporarily or permanently.
Duties
Unlike all but two other states in the union (Tennessee and New Jersey), the only elected state office in Hawaii is the governor. The governor has a wide-reaching authority stronger than many other governors in the U.S. The administrative powers of the Hawaii executive are more centralized than that of most other states with little authority devolved to the county, and unlike other states there are no local school districts.
It is because of this central authority that the governor is locally considered one of the most powerful governors in the United States. The governorship of Hawaii has often been characterized by the Honolulu Advertiser, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, and various other local media as an "elected monarchy" referring to the most current governors as "King Ben" and "Queen Linda" in headlines during their tenures. Included within the governor's sphere of jurisdiction is the power to appoint all judges of the various courts within the Hawaii judicial system, subject to the approval of the Hawaii Senate.[2]
The governor is responsible for enforcing laws passed by the Hawaii State Legislature and upholding rulings of the state judiciary. He or she is also commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Hawaii and has the power to use them to execute laws, suppress insurrection and violence and repel invasion. The governor is the chief executive of the State of Hawaii and its various agencies and departments, as provided for in the Hawaii Constitution, Article V, Sections 1 through 6.
The state of Hawaii does not have fixed cabinet positions and departments. By law, the governor has the power to create his or her cabinet and departments as needed as long as the executive department is composed of no more than 20 bodies and cabinet members. He or she is also empowered to remove cabinet officers at will, with the exception of the Attorney General of Hawaii, who must be removed by an act of the Hawaii State Senate.[1]
Other duties and privileges of the office include:
- Issuing pardons, reprieves, commutations and forgiving fines and forfeitures. With legislative approval, the governor may also grants pardons for impeachment and restore civil rights suspended subsequent to a conviction from another state.
- Appointing an administrative director who serves at the governor's pleasure.
Divisions
- Updated January 14, 2021
- Executive Administration
- Communications
- Homelessness[3]
State budget
Role in state budget
- See also: Hawaii state budget and finances
Hawaii operates on a biennial budget cycle, with each biennium beginning on July 1. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:[4]
- Budget instructions are sent to state agencies between July and August of the year preceding the start of the new biennium.
- State agencies submit their budget requests to the governor by September.
- The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the state legislature in December.
- In April or May, the legislature adopts the budget. A simple majority is required to pass a budget.
Hawaii is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.[4][5]
The governor is statutorily and constitutionally required to submit a balanced budget to the legislature. Though the legislature is not required to pass a balanced budget, the budget must be balanced for the governor to sign it into law.[4]
Governor's office budget
- See also: Hawaii state budget and finances
The Office of the Governor's proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 was $5,276,872.[6]
Compensation
The salaries of elected and appointed executives in Hawaii are determined by the Hawaii Commission on Salaries, which was established by constitutional amendment in 2006. Passage of this amendment by the public added the following language to Article XVI of the state constitution:
Article XVI, Section 3.5 of the Hawaii Constitution
| Text of Section 3.5:
There shall be a commission on salaries as provided by law, which shall review and recommend salaries for the justices and judges of all state courts, members of the legislature, department heads or executive officers of the executive departments and the deputies or assistants to department heads of the executive departments as provided by law, excluding the University of Hawaii and the department of education. The commission shall also review and make recommendations for the salary of the administrative director of the State or equivalent position and the salary of the governor and the lieutenant governor. Any salary established pursuant to this section shall not be decreased during a term of office, unless by general law applying to all salaried officers of the State. Not later than the fortieth legislative day of the 2007 regular legislative session and every six years thereafter, the commission shall submit to the legislature its recommendations and then dissolve. The recommended salaries submitted shall become effective as provided in the recommendation, unless the legislature disapproves the entire recommendation as a whole by adoption of a concurrent resolution prior to adjournment sine die of the legislative session in which the recommendation is submitted; provided that any change in salary which becomes effective shall not apply to the legislature to which the recommendation for the change in salary was submitted.[1] |
The commission consists of seven members selected by the governor (two seats), the President of the Hawaii State Senate (two seats), Speaker of the Hawaii House of Representatives (two seats) and the Chief Justice of the state Supreme Court (one seat). Commissioners meet every six years to evaluate salaries for executive, judicial and legislative officials. Their recommendations go into effect unless the Hawaii State Legislature votes to reject the entirety of the commission's final report.[7]
| Year | Salary | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $184,860 | Source 1 |
| 2024 | $184,860 | Source 1 |
| 2023 | $184,860 | Source 1 |
| 2022 | $165,048 | Source 1 |
| 2021 | $165,048 | Source 1 |
| 2020 | $165,048 | Source 1 |
| 2019 | $158,700 | Source 1 |
| 2018 | $155,592 | Source 1 |
| 2017 | $149,556 | Source 1 |
| 2016 | $149,556 | Source 1 |
| 2015 | $146,628 | Source 1 |
| 2014 | $143,748 | Source 1 |
| 2013 | $117,312 | Source 1 |
| 2012 | $117,312 | Source 1 |
| 2011 | $117,312 | Source 1 |
| 2010 | $117,312 | Source 1 |
History
Partisan balance 1992-2013
From 1992-2013, Hawaii had Democratic governors in office for 14 years while there were Republican governors in office for eight years. During the final three years of the study, Hawaii was under Democratic trifectas.
Across the country, there were 493 years of Democratic governors (44.82%) and 586 years of Republican governors (53.27%) from 1992 to 2013.
Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states had divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.
The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of Hawaii, the Hawaii State Senate and the Hawaii House of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.
.PNG)
SQLI and partisanship
The chart below depicts the partisanship of the Hawaii state government and the state's SQLI ranking for the years studied. For the SQLI, the states were ranked from 1-50, with 1 being the best and 50 the worst. Hawaii has never had a Republican trifecta, but has had a Democratic trifecta between the years 1992 and 2002, and again beginning in 2011. The interruption of these two periods came in 2003 with a Republican governor. The state’s highest SQLI ranking (11th) came in 1993 under a Democratic trifecta, while Hawaii’s lowest SQLI ranking (39th) in 1999 and 2001, also under a Democratic trifecta. The state saw a precipitous decline in its ranking between 1994 and 1995, falling thirteen spots from 15th to 28th. Between 1996 and 1997, the state recovered in its SQLI ranking by nine spots before dropping to a new low (39th) in 1999.
- SQLI average with Democratic trifecta: 29.46
- SQLI average with Republican trifecta: N/A
- SQLI average with divided government: 33.88
Historical officeholders
There have been eight governors since 1957. Of the eight officeholders, two were Republican and six were Democratic.[8] [9]
| # | Name | Took office | Left office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William F. Quinn | August 21, 1959 | 1962 | Republican |
| 2 | John A. Burns | 1962 | 1974 | Democratic |
| 3 | George R. Ariyoshi | 1974 | 1986 | Democratic |
| 4 | John Waihee | 1986 | 1994 | Democratic |
| 5 | Benjamin Cayetano | 1994 | 2002 | Democratic |
| 6 | Linda Lingle | 2002 | 2010 | Republican |
| 7 | Neil Abercrombie | 2010 | 2014 | Democratic |
| 8 | David Ige | 2014 | 2022 | Democratic |
| 9 | Joshua Green | 2022 | Present | Democratic |
State profile
| Demographic data for Hawaii | ||
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 1,425,157 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 6,423 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 25.4% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 2% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 37.7% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 9.9% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 23.7% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 9.9% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 91% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 30.8% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $69,515 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 11.6% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Hawaii. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Hawaii
Hawaii voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
More Hawaii coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Hawaii
- United States congressional delegations from Hawaii
- Public policy in Hawaii
- Endorsers in Hawaii
- Hawaii fact checks
- More...
Recent news
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Contact information
The Honorable David Y. Ige
Governor, State of Hawaii
Executive Chambers
State Capitol
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Phone: (808) 586-0034
Fax: 808 586-0006
See also
| Hawaii | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Justia, "Hawaii Constitution," accessed January 14, 2021
- ↑ The Honolulu Advertiser, "Powers proposed for Lingle in war," January 29, 2003
- ↑ Office of the Governor of Hawaii, "Staff and Cabinet," accessed January 14, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 National Association of State Budget Officers, "Budget Processes in the States, Spring 2021," accessed January 24, 2023
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Separation of Powers: Executive Veto Powers," accessed January 26, 2024
- ↑ Department of Budget and Finance, "The FB 2025-27 Executive Biennium Budget," accessed October 10, 2025
- ↑ [https://dhrd.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/2019-COS-ReportAppendices_FINAL_3-19-19.pdf Commission on Salaries, "REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE 2019 LEGISLATURE ," March 13, 2019]
- ↑ National Governors Association, "Former Hawaii Governors," accessed January 14, 2021
- ↑ Governor of the State of Hawaii, "David Y. Ige," accessed January 14, 2021
