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 Jarrett Keohokalole, Democratic candidate for U.S. House 1st District, which covers urban Oahu.

His opponents are Nathan Berning, Jennifer Booker, Ed Case, Jordan Conley, Ben Fatula, Nicholas Kiswanto and Adriel Lam.

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

At this specific moment in American history — marked by intense divisions and the politics of grievance — why are you the right person to represent the specific needs of Hawaiʻi’s 1st Congressional District?

I am running for Congress because this moment demands urgency and leadership, and Hawaiʻi is not getting it! Instead, we’re getting a representative who votes with Trump on voter suppression, stays silent during ICE raids, and takes American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and defense contractor money. I’ve delivered real results: Red Hill accountability, property insurance relief and the first Citizens United reform to pass any state legislature. In Congress, I’ll fight for affordability, healthcare and Hawaiʻi’s future.

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

The cost of living. Before the Iran war, it cost $75 to fill our family minivan. Last week, it was $100! What happens in Washington hits us right here at home. Congress has no business funding an unauthorized war while families here struggle to get by. In my first six months, I will fight to stop military funding for the open-ended war in Iran and redirect that spending toward housing and healthcare for working families in Hawaiʻi.

Here’s one question from your constituents: Will you stand up against the bullying corruption of the Trump admin?

Absolutely, and I already have. While Ed Case voted with Trump to restrict access to the ballot through the SAVE Act, I authored SB 2057 with the ACLU and Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights to ban state cooperation with ICE overreach. In Congress I will seek a seat on the House Oversight Committee to investigate systematic violations of civil rights and expose Trump’s rampant corruption and profiteering from the presidency. Hawaiʻi deserves a representative who stands up to bullies.

For those who have held public office: What is one piece of legislation or policy initiative you spearheaded in the last four years that had a measurable, positive impact on Hawaiʻi? For challengers who have not held public office: What professional or community achievement best demonstrates your ability to navigate complex bureaucracies and deliver results?

I have three! I passed SB 2471, the first law in the nation to make Citizens United irrelevant, and I cannot wait to see its impact. I also pushed the Legislature to modernize with remote testimony, taking Hawaiʻi from one of the least accessible to one of the leading states in public access. I passed legislation creating a public insurance option for condominiums, saving enrollees an average of $100,000 annually and stabilizing the broader market.

With the Trump administration in its final two years, how specifically do you plan to ensure Hawaiʻi’s interests aren’t sidelined? Name one specific policy area where you believe you can find common ground with the administration or across the aisle to benefit Hawaiʻi residents.

I am driven by a passion to make things better for Hawaiʻi and to find a way forward on issues that matter. On one area of common ground: while fentanyl dominates the national conversation, meth is devastating Hawaiʻi and red states alike, driving homelessness, mental illness and incarceration with nowhere near the federal investment it deserves. Building a bipartisan coalition around methamphetamine prevention and treatment keeps Hawaiʻi at the table and delivers real results.

Hawaiʻi consistently ranks as one of the most expensive housing markets in the U.S. Beyond general support for HUD, what federal program or legislative mechanism would you propose to specifically address affordability and increase housing inventory on the islands?

My wife and I chose to raise our family in Hawaiʻi, and I think about whether our children can afford to stay. Housing is our defining challenge and it demands federal tools built for our reality. I passed legislation cracking down on vacation rentals to protect housing stock. In Congress, I will stop large investors from buying single family homes, raise FHA loan limits to reflect our costs and modernize federal housing programs to accelerate affordable housing construction.

The Jones Act is a century-old cargo shipping law that some argue has a significant impact on Hawaiʻi’s cost of living. Do you support a full repeal, a specific exemption for Hawaiʻi or maintaining the status quo? How will you build a national coalition to change it? If you support maintaining the status quo, please explain why that’s necessary.

I support the Jones Act. China already delivers most of our furniture, clothing and electronics to Hawaiʻi on foreign flagged vessels that operate beyond our jurisdiction and owe us nothing in a crisis. When conflict or pandemic strikes, those ships go where the money is. The goods we cannot go without – Spam, toilet paper, medicine – must be guaranteed to arrive no matter what. Repeal the Jones Act and China delivers those, too.

National conservative groups have launched legal challenges against Kamehameha Schools’ admissions policy and a federal program that provides Native Hawaiian health scholarships. Are you concerned about protecting those institutions and programs and, if so, what federal legislative action will you take?

These lawsuits seek to erase promises made to Native Hawaiians for wrongs they still live with today. The recent lawsuit against the DHHL could gut the program, which was created as a condition of statehood. As Native Hawaiian Caucus chair, I championed over $1 billion for Native Hawaiian programs and passed SB 903 to backfill federal cuts with state dollars. In Congress I will fight to restore every federal Native Hawaiian program this administration is trying to defund.

Climate change and ever more powerful disasters are facts of life in Hawaiʻi. How would you plan to address that issue in Washington on behalf of the state?

Oʻahu had four 100-year rain events in the first quarter of 2026 alone. The climate crisis is not coming — it is here. Yet Trump’s Iran war has exposed our fossil fuel dependence in ways no policy argument ever could. That is the opening we need. In Congress I will fight to restore federal clean energy investments, require utilities to transition away from fossil fuels, end oil and gas subsidies, and hold major polluters accountable.

Hawaiʻi aims for 100% renewable energy by 2045. Do you support Gov. Josh Green’s initiative to use liquefied natural gas as a bridge fuel until that goal is met?

I am skeptical. LNG is still a fossil fuel that locks in long-term infrastructure and import dependency. Roughly 20% of global LNG trade passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which Trump’s Iran war has already destabilized, maybe permanently. The details of Gov. (Josh) Green’s plan remain unclear and the projected savings have been cast into doubt. A credible plan must not slow our path to 100% renewables and must provide savings to ratepayers.

As the headquarters of INDOPACOM, Hawaiʻi is central to U.S. strategy in the Pacific. How do you balance the need for a strong military presence with the environmental and social concerns of the local community?

The U.S. should continue to anchor stability, deter aggression and support democratic partners across the region. Fulfilling that role demands accountability here in Hawaiʻi. I helped lead the Red Hill Water Alliance Initiative, pushing for a transparent plan to address aquifer contamination from the 2021 spill. Like all branches of government, the military must uphold the public trust. Pōhakuloa is exactly the kind of challenge that demands that same vigilance.

Immigration is a cornerstone of Hawaiʻi’s history and culture, yet the Trump administration has taken an aggressive stance on enforcement. How will you represent Hawaiʻi’s values in Washington while balancing the federal government’s need to secure the nation’s borders?

Immigration is woven into Hawaiʻi’s identity. When ICE dragged teachers from their beds at gunpoint and Ed Case refused to even sign a letter condemning it, I knew we needed new leadership. I authored SB 2057 to ban state cooperation with that kind of enforcement. In Congress I will fight for Dreamers, pathways to citizenship for long-term residents and an immigration system that is both secure and humane. Hawaiʻi deserves better.