HILO, Hawaii – Hawaii State Senator Kai Kahele had mixed feelings on the night of his election.
On one hand, the young Democrat was satisfied following a dedicated campaign to win the vote of Hilo’s first district populace. On the other hand, party politics at the national level were thrown into upheaval by the unexpected victory of Republican Donald Trump.
On Tuesday night, Kahele was surrounded by friends and family at his Hilo headquarters, celebrating his landslide win over Libertarian candidate Kimberly Arianoff, 14,488 (82.7%) to 1,816 (10.4%).
Kahele has already served one year at the state legislature. He was appointed to the fill the seat vacated when his father Gilbert died suddenly at the start of 2016. This coming legislative session will be his first as an elected state senator.
