Economy And Housing Are Center Stage In Hot Oahu Senate Race…Carol Fukunaga hopes to defeat upstart Ian Ross in his
With incumbent Brian Taniguchi retiring at the end of his term, the race for the Senate seat covering Manoa and Makiki is ripe for competition.
Honolulu City Councilwoman Carol Fukunaga faces Makiki-Tantalus Neighborhood Board Chair Ian Ross for the Democratic nomination, while the sole Republican candidate, a political newcomer named Ben Sakai, will automatically proceed to the general election this November.
If Fukunaga were to win, it would mean a return to her previous position as senator for District 11 — Manoa, Makiki, Punchbowl, Papakolea — where she served for 20 years before redistricting merged her district with Taniguchi’s and forced a matchup between the two of them in 2012. Then, Fukunaga received 44.6% of the vote against Taniguchi’s 55.4%, leading her to run in a special election for Honolulu City Council that November and edge out 15 other candidates.
