Hawaii to elect new US rep after Kahele’s departure

By AUDREY McAVOY
Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) — Voters in Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District will elect a new congressperson on Tuesday after the incumbent, U.S. Rep. Kaiali’i Kahele, decided not to seek re-election. Republican Joe Akana and Democrat Jill Tokuda are facing off in the district covering rural Oahu and the rest of the Hawaiian Islands. Akana is a businessman and former U.S. Air Force intelligence analyst. Tokuda served in the state Senate for 12 years, where she chaired the Ways and Means Committee. In the 1st Congressional District, incumbent U.S. Rep. Ed Case is asking voters to send him back to Washington to represent urban Honolulu for another two-year term. He faces Republican Conrad Kress.