Gary Cordery Secures Republican Nomination for Hawaii Governor

Gary Cordery, the owner of a contracting company, won the Republican nomination for Hawaii governor, defeating Ken Fujiyama, a business owner, in the primary held on Saturday. Cordery will compete against Democratic Governor Josh Green in the November election, which strongly favors the incumbent. The Cook Political Report classifies the race as Solid Democratic, indicating a Partisan Voting Index of D+13.

Cordery faces significant challenges. Hawaii has not elected a Republican governor since Linda Lingle’s term ended in 2010. He competes against an incumbent with a 56% approval rating and a long-standing Democratic dominance in the state. Moreover, there exists a financial gap between Cordery and Green. Green has amassed about $3.5 million in campaign funds, whereas Cordery has collected approximately $313,000, as reported by Honolulu Civil Beat.

Cordery’s campaign focuses on alleviating Hawaii’s high living costs, overhauling the education system, and addressing corruption. He stated in an interview with Honolulu Civil Beat, “As a husband, father and grandfather, businessman and community servant, I love Hawai’i. These islands of unique beauty have endured mismanagement for decades. Her people live under tremendous stress and anxiety. I am running to open opportunity, create abundance and ensure stewardship of her resources, bringing accountability and hope for the people.”

Part of Cordery’s economic plan involves building 15,000 homes across the islands for working families, with prices ranging from $400,000 to $600,000. His proposal suggests utilizing state-owned land for fee-simple housing, streamlining the permitting process, and making more land available for residential development.

Additionally, Cordery proposes abolishing the state’s General Excise Tax on food and medicine and freezing property taxes for retirees. He argues the state mishandles taxpayer funds and plans to conduct audits to eliminate waste. Cordery remarked, “Hawai’i’s 20.5 billion dollar budget for 1.4 million people is a staggering number. New Hampshire has 1.4 million people but a $7.75 billion dollar budget. I believe our tax burden is out of control. The answer is management.”

Elaine Mallon writes for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, focusing on national politics.