Civil Beat has asked candidates for the Hawaiʻi General Election on Nov. 3 to answer a survey about where they stand on various issues and what their priorities will be if elected.

The following comes from Danny de Gracia, Republican candidate for State House District 39, including Royal Kunia, Village Park, Honouliuli, Ho‘opili and a portion of Waipahu.

His opponents are Loren Doctolero, Corey Rosenlee and Wayne Kaiwi.

Go to Civil Beat’s 2026 Elections Guide for general information, and check out the other candidates on Civil Beatʻs 2026 Hawaiʻi Primary Ballot.

Why are you best suited for the job? And why do you want the job?

The voters will determine who is best suited for the job, but I promise to work with all my heart to be worthy of their trust and confidence. I’ve served at the Department of Health in chronic disease prevention for 12 years; before that I was a chair’s committee clerk at the State House. I specialize in law, budgeting, procurement, policy and planning and I am ready on day one if elected. The people want proven, tough and competent people representing them, and I hope to serve them!

What is the biggest issue facing your district, and what is the first thing you would do to address it in the first six months after being elected?

The cost of living is the problem. Food, healthcare, education and energy are so expensive and salaries can’t keep up. I was at a restaurant in Kunia and watched a police officer stop by to see his son who was serving at the counter and he gave him money from his wallet and said “Daddy loves you son. Do you need anything?” Love and family are holding our district together. I will champion hardworking families like that and support them in any way I can to lower prices and promote good jobs.

Here’s one question from your constituents: Do you support maintaining a monopoly for interisland shipping?

I don’t support monopolies of any kind, because monopolies are usually the result of the government putting its hand on the scales and picking winners and losers at the expense of ordinary people. I support a competitive free market where small businesses can provide the fastest, most economical and convenient options for shipping. And when we lower the prices of shipping through competition, we’ll lower in large part a lot of the costs of goods and services here.

What do you think were the most important bills to come out of the 2026 Legislature? What failed that should have passed? What passed that you wish had failed?

I’m grateful for SB 2175, which will save keiki and protect our environment from mountains of toxic trash by banning the sale of disposable vaping devices. I’m also glad SB 2614 passed, which corrects a historic oversight by allowing our Department of Education to give high school diplomas to military veterans of WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War who were drafted and couldn’t complete school. I wish we’d passed bills to give young parents and keiki more playgrounds and parks for recreation.

The 2026 session was also overshadowed by an issue of public trust: $35,000 in the brown paper bag given to an “influential” state lawmaker. What do you think the Legislature needs to do going forward to rebuild public confidence in state government?

There needs to be a sign mounted at the entrance of the state Capitol that reads “I will not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those among us who do.” Trust comes by enforcing exacting standards of accountability, transparency and excellence. The people of this state deserve to know exactly which lawmaker took an illegal bribe, and that person should be shamed for breaking our trust. We need to start clean with a new generation of upright people to serve with honor.

In recent years, Hawai’i has experienced a series of damaging and dangerous weather events that have exposed weaknesses in our planning, preparation and response. What could you as a lawmaker do to help your district be better prepared?

I used to live on Andersen AFB in Guam, a place that is devastated yearly by some of the worst storms on earth. I know exactly what it feels like to lose power for a month or more and to suffer the terrible inconveniences of a storm. If elected, I will make sure that my district is equipped with everything it needs to minimize the impacts of weather damage and I will use my procurement, policy and planning skills I learned from DOH to make sure no one is left behind or endangered in a storm.

What would you do in office to address the here and now of climate change? And how would you address the costs to taxpayers, property owners and businesses to adapt?

I’d approach this scientifically and I’d conduct qualitative one-on-one interviews with scientists, engineers and urban planners to develop a nonpartisan, accurate understanding of what’s most at risk and why. I’d then use Bayesian statistics from their input to assign probability quotients to geographical locations most likely to be affected and use that as a starting point to build partner coalitions and action plans. I’d get public buy-in and I wouldn’t force anything down anyone’s throat.

Over 3,000 bills are introduced every session and there is always frantic horsetrading in the final days of session. Do you think there should be a limit on the number of bills introduced to enable more meaningful debate?

As a former committee clerk to the chairs of Human Services and International Affairs, I can tell you that there’s a lot of waste in bill introductions. Some bills are meant as political language and are never meant to pass, let alone be heard. Meaningful debate comes not so much from bill introductions but legislators talking to each other before, during and after session. I would focus more on raising the quality of legislators than capping bill introductions.

Hawaiʻi lawmakers are often in the dark about how much a piece of legislation will cost because the Aloha State is the only one in the nation that doesn’t require a fiscal analysis for bills. Should lawmakers be forced to put a realistic price tag on the legislation they introduce?

Fiscal notes are definitely something I’d support. But, my concern, knowing how government often works, is that the fiscal notes would be abused as a mechanism to lowball the price of very expensive projects proposed by those in favor and jack up the estimated cost of proposals suggested by those out-of-favor. We would need to have independent fiscal notes done by a nonpartisan entity not connected to the Legislature or Executive Branch, or else it’d be just another form of a rubber stamp.

There are no term limits for state legislators in Hawaiʻi, so incumbents tend to win. Would you seek to change that? Why or why not?

I support term limits. Benjamin Franklin famously wrote in one of his farmer’s almanacs, “Anoint a villain and he’ll stab you.” What does this mean? Sometimes bad people get lucky and get elected. With time they get re-elected, entrench and grow so powerful no one can get rid of them and they act against the voters. With term limits you hobble the villain and the righteous alike, but I would rather have a hard cap on all legislators than let evil people reign indefinitely in power.

What would you do to help improve the state’s public school system?

Ho‘opili residents in HD39 urgently need a new school built for their keiki. I would prioritize getting new schools built, as well as making sure our existing school campuses across the state are modern, comfortable to work and study in, and aesthetically pleasing to all. The other thing I want to work on improving is food systems coordination within DOE. We need to find ways to support our local agriculture and farm-to-school programs to feed keiki quality, nutritious, locally-sourced meals.

Hawaiʻi is heavily reliant on tourism. What would you propose to diversify Hawaiʻi’s economy?

I’m extremely concerned about the impact unchecked tourism is having on our islands. I’m “old enough” to remember when so many places around our state were pristine, intimate and spiritually resonant. Now, much of our island feels like an overcrowded parking lot. This is a question that has no easy answer and no single solution but we need to start talking about it more. What I do promise however is that I won’t put my hand on the scales and stack the deck against anyone.

An estimated 60% of Hawai’i residents are struggling to get by. It’s a problem that reaches far beyond low-income folks and into the middle class, which is disappearing. What would you do to help?

Please read my March 25, 2024 Civil Beat essay “Why It’s Miserable To Be Stuck In Hawaii’s Middle” because that is the issue we’re facing. My district consists of people who did everything right — studied hard in school, saved money, played by the rules, didn’t stick their necks out — and they find themselves feeling like it was all in vain. Our system is broken. If you work hard and play by the rules you should be rewarded with success. I’ll fight for fairness and be the people’s champion.