Support from BJ Penn means a lot in Hilo town

Underdog GOP candidate for Congress gets support from MMA champ, BJ Penn

HILO, Hawaii: Meet Hilo’s own Kawika Crowley, a Republican candidate for the 2nd Congressional House District, and a politician unlike any other.

An underdog victory in the Primary has propelled Crowley to face off with Democrat Tulsi Gabbard in November.

Its going to be a tough race for Crowley to win, but on Wednesday, during this press conference outside the old state building in Hilo, Crowley revealed his local ace in the hole: BJ Penn, the popular Mixed Martial Arts champion, another Hilo native.

Penn said he was impressed with what he heard from Kawika during his exchange with the media.

Crowley says the differences in the two candidates are stark…on issues like RAIL (Crowley opposes it), same sex marriage (Crowley is against it), Obama-care (Crowley seeks to repeal it), and even Hawaiian sovereignty (Crowley is in favor of it)

Kawika also has what he calls a $90,000 promise… That refers to what would be half of his Congressional salary, if elected. He says he will donate it to the Wounded Warriors project, helping vets as they return home from war.

The press conference also served as the kick-off of Crowley’s “Walking the Islands” campaign. He will begin in his hometown of Hilo, and then proceed to various points across the Big Island in a four day sign waving marathon.

The general election will take place on November 6th.

Kawika 4 Congress official website