Chad Blair previewed the 2022 governor’s race in a column over at Civil Beat on Thursday (“Chad Blair: Here’s How Hawaii’s Top 2022 Political Races Are Shaking Out“). Blair highlights the veteran Democrats lining up to campaign for governor and lt. governor, but drew a blank on the Republicans.
And what about the Republicans? Andria Tupola, the GOP nominee three years ago, is now on the Honolulu City Council and is not running for gov. I have no idea who in the party possibly could.
He doubled down on that theme later at the conclusion: “Republicans: Beats me.”
So try this tidbit from the political rumor mill passed on to me recently: How about a Republican ticket with Micah Kane as the GOP candidate for governor in 2022, and Honolulu City Councilmember Andria Tupola, the 2018 GOP standard bearer, for LG.
Landing Kane, a former party executive director, as their candidate would be a coup for the Republican Party, but how that might play out within the fractured party is not at all clear. He was, after all, a Lingle Republican, which could put him at odds with the party’s vocal right wing.
And a quick look at Kane’s recent political contributions show he has not contributed to any Republican candidates or PACs in recent years, while he has given to a list of local Democrats.
That makes me wonder–could Kane be looking at jumping into the Democratic primary rather running as a Republican? Were Kane to become a Democrat, and run in the Democratic primary, it seems to me he would not only be a viable candidate for governor, he has the makings of a strong candidate.
Kane has built an impressive resume. He is CEO of the Hawaii Community Foundation, a position he has held since 2017, and is a director of Hawaiian Electric Industries, parent company of HECO and American Savings Bank. Hawaii Business Magazine named him “CEO of the year” in 2020.
A former political independent, Kane first joined the Republican Party in 1999 when Linda Lingle was party chair. In June 1999, six months after joining the party, Kane was named its executive director. Following Linda Lingle’s election as governor in 2002, she nominated Kane as director of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. He served until the end of her second term, and was then appointed as a trustee of Kamehameha Schools, where he served two five-year terms.
Kane has contributed $50,112.91 to state and local candidates since 2010, Campaign Spending Commission records show. More than half of the contributions, $28,426.96, were made since becoming Hawaii Community Foundation CEO in 2017.
All of his campaign contributions to state and local candidates since 2017 have gone to Democrats.
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And his federal election contributions are similar. He has given $12,300 to federal candidates and committees since 2016, and 85 percent went to Democratic candidates. Kane last contributed to the Hawaii Republican Party in 2016, with two contributions for a total of $1,800. He did not contribute to any Republican Party committees, political action committees, or candidates since the end of 2016.
The Hawaiian Electric Industries website provides a useful summary of Kane’s experience.
RELEVANT PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
President and Chief Executive Officer, Hawaii Community Foundation (statewide charitable foundation, managing over $675 million in assets and distributing more than $62 million in grants in 2018) (since July 2017)
President and Chief Operating Officer, Hawaii Community Foundation (2016 to June 2017)
Chief Operating Officer, Pacific Links Hawaii LLC (golf course owner, developer and operator) (2011-2015)
Principal, The KANE Group LLC (Hawaii-based company focused on land and financing matters for planned community infrastructure and general business development)(since 2010)
Kamehameha Schools ($12 billion Native Hawaiian trust with more than 397,000 acres of land holdings in Hawaii), Trustee (since 2009).
RELEVANT SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS
Executive management, leadership and strategic planning skills from prior service as Chief Operating Officer of Pacific Links Hawaii and Trustee of Kamehameha Schools and from prior role as Chairman/Director of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.
Finance and investment expertise gained through oversight of $10 billion asset portfolio as Trustee of Kamehameha Schools and through spearheading bond transactions as Chairman/Director of Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.
Experience managing complex capital expenditure programs from overseeing development of master planned communities and from managing annual $150 million capital improvement budget for the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.
Skilled in government affairs, policy development, public relations and crisis management from prior service as Chairman/Executive Director of the Hawaii Republican Party.
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I always though he was the guy, not Duke (too religious), who could have continued the momentum Lingle seemingly had injected into the party. However, I also feel like his time to strike passed, and he doesn’t have the acceptance among Democratic voters to win Governor. It’s really hard to run foe the top spot in your very first race, and the fact that Blangiardi did it and has been pretty awful doesn’t help Micah or Vicky. Now should he switch over the Dems and run for LG, that’s more interesting. The winning LG candidate is going to need about 23 percent of the vote from the looks of it, so someone who can pull from various demographics has the best chance.
Kane would be a Trumpian disaster. When he was Hawaiian Homelands director, DHHL was being sued by 2,700 Native Hawaiian beneficiaries who had waited decades on the homeland list. 20,000 Native Hawaiians were waiting for homes. Kane instead took 67 acres of homelands from Hawaiian beneficiaries and leased it to Florida developer Debartolo Development for a giant 1.4 million sq. ft shopping mall construction.
I don’t see much to like about him or any of the other supposed likely candidates. We need some change around here–and I do not mean Trumpian change! I–and many others–are fed up with the establishment dems who collect (or contribute!) big campaign bucks and oppose anything that could alter, even in a modest way, the socioeconomic conditions in the state. Unbeknownst to our affluent politicians in their insular money-driven universe, people are hurting badly in this state.