Indiana election results point to little statewide turnover in Hawaiʻi. The congressional delegation and governor will stay the same after the election, but the most consequential opening is on Maui.
Sterling Higa opened his column with one question: "Will anything change in Hawai‘i after this election?" His answer was narrow. Most offices will stay put, but the Maui race could still produce the clearest shift for local voters.
Yuki Lei Sugimura and Richard Bissen
Maui Council Member Yuki Lei Sugimura is challenging Mayor Richard Bissen, and Higa said, "A Sugimura win would be a real change." He tied that to policy, noting that Sugimura has signaled more support for housing and short-term rentals than Bissen has shown in his first term.
That would change how Maui handles two issues that shape daily costs and availability for residents. A new mayor with different priorities can alter how aggressively the county pushes housing and how it approaches short-term rental rules.
Washington, DC and Hawaiʻi
Higa also said the intrigue is in Washington, where control of Congress may change hands. If Democrats flip the House and the Senate, President Donald Trump becomes a lame duck for his last two years.
He added that "That would matter here." He linked that to budget decisions in DC, which affect funding for the states, along with trade policy that affects prices at the grocery store and foreign wars that affect gas prices at the pump.
State House and the State Senate
Republicans have no shot at taking the state’s legislature, but they may be able to force floor votes in the State House after the election. Higa also said the State Senate may shuffle its leaders, while Derek Kawakami should slide into the lieutenant governor’s office and Trevor Ozawa should fill Tommy Waters’s seat.
Before the election, a judge barred Tommy Waters from seeking reelection. After the election, that change is expected to leave Honolulu with one new council member, while Maui voters still hold the race most likely to alter local policy. Higa closed by saying, "We won’t save the republic with our ballots today."
