Hawaii — Governor

D Democratic Joshua Green

Supports middle-class tax relief

Green highlights his first-term passage of the largest middle-class tax cut in Hawaii state history to address high living costs. He links cost-of-living reductions to expanding affordable housing, raising wages, lowering healthcare costs, and offering free community college education.

• Passed the largest middle-class tax cut in Hawaii state history during his first term
• Advocates living wages so no full-time worker lives in poverty
• Connects cost-of-living solutions to affordable housing, healthcare access, and free community college

“In his first term, Governor Josh Green has delivered the biggest tax cut for the middle class in Hawaii state history, built affordable housing at a scale we haven’t seen in decades, and made the largest investment in reducing homelessness ever in our islands.”

R Republican Gary Cordery

Advocates tax elimination and deregulation

Cordery argues that Hawaii's economy is crushed by high taxes and burdensome regulations driving inflation and population outmigration. He proposes eliminating General Excise Taxes (GET) on food and medicine, freezing property taxes for retirees, cutting regulations, and re-establishing an inter-island business ferry.

• Eliminate General Excise Taxes (GET) on food and medicine
• Freeze property taxes on primary homes for individuals at retirement age
• Cut taxes and remove burdensome regulations driving up costs of goods and services
• Establish a business-oriented ferry to open cost-effective transport for goods and services

“Our economy is being crushed by the highest taxes in the country, the cost of living is unsuitable and home ownership is nearly a lost hope.”

“We will reduce the cost of living by eliminating GET taxes on food and medicine, and freezing property taxes at the age of retirement on primary homes.”

D Democratic Joshua Green

Supports emergency housing construction and regulation

Green treats housing as a state emergency and implemented a 10-point plan to streamline affordable home construction. His strategy combines shutting down illegal vacation rentals, taxing vacant investor units, offering state-subsidized loans for first-time buyers, and leveraging state lands alongside Hawaiian Homelands.

• Issued executive orders streamlining affordable housing construction and cutting red tape
• Enforce shutdowns of 25,000 illegal vacation rentals and tax 35,000 vacant investor units
• Create a state-subsidized loan program for first-time buyers and essential workers
• Partner with Department of Hawaiian Homelands and Office of Hawaiian Affairs to build housing on vacant public lands

“Immediately issue an executive order to all state and county housing agencies to speed up construction of affordable housing by eliminating red tape, streamlining processes and approvals, and coordinating efforts to address the crisis.”

R Republican Gary Cordery

Supports regulatory reduction for homeownership

Cordery views high home prices and declining local resident homeownership as primary causes of outmigration from Hawaii. He advocates reducing government regulations and lowering tax burdens to make homeownership feasible for local families.

• Attributes falling local homeownership to excessive tax burdens and overregulation
• Aims to create economic conditions allowing families to afford homeownership and remain in Hawaii for generations

“The average home price in Hawaiʻi is $1,158,492, resulting in a steady decline of local-resident home ownership.”

D Democratic Joshua Green

Expands kauhale villages and healthcare services

Green highlights making the largest investment in reducing homelessness in state history through a 'Housing is Healthcare' framework. His strategy centers on constructing master-planned kauhale housing villages and funding specialized medical facilities like the H4 clinic for addiction and mental health treatment.

• Invested record state funds in expanding kauhale housing villages statewide
• Expanded medical and mental health facilities, including H4 clinics for trauma, addiction, and psychiatric care
• Established standard street-level intervention protocols for law enforcement, social workers, and healthcare providers

“he saw the need for real solutions on homelessness and helped build 'kauhale' communities and the H4 clinic to provide housing and healthcare for those most in need.”

R Republican Gary Cordery

Advocates individualized treatment and mental health funding

Cordery emphasizes tailored individual care to tackle Hawaii's high per capita homelessness rate. He prioritizes funding mental health and drug interventions leading to treatment, while distinguishing between temporary hardship and voluntary lifestyle choices.

• Secure state funding specifically for mental health programs previously subject to budget cutbacks
• Prioritize individualized assessments connecting unhoused residents with mental health and substance abuse treatment
• Differentiate management approaches for temporary emergency needs versus voluntary homelessness

“Mental health and drug interventions leading to treatment are among the top actions that reduce homelessness.”

D Democratic Joshua Green

Supports universal Pre-K and free community college

Green focuses on expanding public education investments from early childhood through higher education. His platform commitments include universal public Pre-K, free community college tuition for high school graduates, and higher teacher compensation and housing support to address shortages.

• Establish and fund a universal public Pre-K program statewide
• Offer free community college education to all Hawaii high school graduates
• Provide competitive teacher pay, benefits, and affordable housing to curb an annual 1,200-teacher shortage
• Expand campus childcare and school nutrition programs

“Develop and fund a universal public Pre-K program to prepare our keiki for success;”

R Republican Gary Cordery

Supports school choice vouchers and parent involvement

Cordery criticizes Hawaii's single centralized public school board for low proficiency scores and lack of local control. He proposes implementing an educational voucher program, increasing parental involvement, and removing teachers' unions from school policy decisions.

• Establish an educational voucher program for Hawaii families
• Involve parents directly in school board decisions and curriculum policy
• Remove teachers' unions from state educational policymaking

“My administration would get parents actively involved in their children’s education, offer a voucher program and get the union out of school policy.”

D Democratic Joshua Green

Supports clean energy transitions and emissions standards

Green promotes Hawaii's statutory target to be carbon negative by 2045 and complete grid decarbonization. He advocates expanding solar utility projects, restoring residential photovoltaic tax credits, building statewide EV charging infrastructure, and collecting visitor impact fees for conservation and housing.

• Commit to statutory carbon negativity by 2045 and complete grid decarbonization
• Restore residential PV tax credits and implement national zero-emission vehicle standards
• Reduce state facility energy use by at least 30% prior to 2030
• Explore a visitor impact fee to fund solar-powered housing and park maintenance

“Lead the nation with the highest efficiency and emissions standards to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission vehicles statewide;”

R Republican Gary Cordery

Opposes solar farms on agricultural land

Cordery rejects broad 'all-of-the-above' energy mandates, calling for rigorous evaluation of feasibility before committing resources. While supporting rooftop solar, he strongly opposes rezoning prime agricultural land for ground-mounted solar farms, insisting agricultural land remain in production while prioritizing clean water protection.

• Oppose rezoning prime agricultural land for ground-mounted solar farms
• Promote rooftop solar expansion while evaluating energy tech feasibility
• Protect freshwater aquifers and address environmental hazards like Red Hill fuel leaks

“We do know that with Hawaiʻi's year-round sunshine, solar energy must continue to improve and be promoted in Hawaiʻi, although prime agricultural land should not be rezoned for ground mount solar farms.”

D Democratic Joshua Green

Emphasizes executive management and emergency leadership

Green emphasizes steady executive leadership through state emergencies and natural disasters. His administration highlights collaborative policy execution across state agencies and counties.

• Utilizes executive orders and emergency declarations to streamline inter-agency actions
• Emphasizes steady gubernatorial oversight during natural disasters and economic recovery

“Governor Josh Green provides steady leadership in a crisis.”

R Republican Gary Cordery

Proposes transparency office and emergency power limits

Cordery campaigns heavily on curbing government corruption, nepotism, and backroom deals. He promises to establish a Government Transparency Office, restrict gubernatorial emergency powers exclusively to times of war and natural disasters, and fully fund police investigative bodies.

• Establish a Government Transparency Office to make state contracts, spending, and decisions fully visible
• Limit gubernatorial emergency powers strictly to times of war and natural disasters
• Utilize line-item vetoes to strip special interest amendments and unconstitutional provisions
• Fully fund police and investigative agencies to combat public corruption

“We will etablish a Government Transparency Office to make spending, contracts, and decisions visible to the public.”

D Democratic Joshua Green

Supports statewide healthcare access and prevention

As a physician, Green highlights his legislative and executive record expanding healthcare systems. His accomplishments include founding the Cancer Research Center, raising the legal tobacco and e-cigarette age to 21, establishing a statewide trauma care system, and integrating healthcare into housing programs.

• Passed anti-tobacco legislation raising the legal age for tobacco and e-cigarettes to 21
• Established a comprehensive statewide trauma healthcare system and Cancer Research Center
• Integrated healthcare delivery with housing through H4 clinics and medical respite care

“passed groundbreaking anti-tobacco legislation, which increased the legal age for purchasing tobacco and e-cigarettes to 21, and created a statewide trauma healthcare system.”

R Republican Gary Cordery

Focuses on methamphetamine treatment and addiction recovery

Cordery targets drug policy and substance abuse, identifying methamphetamine as the primary driver of overdose deaths in Hawaii. He advocates head-on law enforcement and medical intervention alongside mentorship and employment programs for individuals coming out of treatment.

• Target methamphetamine addiction and overdose deaths as a top public policy priority
• Mentor and hire individuals recovering in local drug treatment centers
• Direct medical and law enforcement resources to addiction intervention

“we must turn our attention to methamphetamine because it is clear that in the western half of America (including Hawai’i), methamphetamine is the “top drug involved in overdose deaths," my administration would tackle this issue head-on.”