Gary Cordery, a Hawaii contractor, has won the Republican nomination for Hawaii governor and now faces Democratic Gov. Josh Green in November. The Hawaii GOP primary victory came after Cordery defeated business owner Ken Fujiyama on Saturday, but the general election is shaping up as an uphill fight in a state that has leaned heavily Democratic for years.
The Cook Political Report rates the race as Solid Democratic, with a Partisan Voting Index of D+13. Green also enters the contest with a 56% approval rating, giving the incumbent a clear advantage before the fall campaign even gets fully underway. Cordery’s challenge is sharpened by Hawaii’s recent political history: the state has not elected a Republican governor since Linda Lingle left office in 2010.
Money is another major obstacle for Cordery. According to Honolulu Civil Beat, Green has raised about $3.5 million, while Cordery has brought in roughly $313,000. That gap underscores how difficult it will be for the Republican nominee to compete statewide in a race that already tilts toward Democrats. Still, Cordery is trying to frame the campaign around the pressures Hawaii residents feel every day, especially the cost of living.
In a Honolulu Civil Beat interview, Cordery described himself as a husband, father and grandfather, as well as a businessman and community servant. He said he loves Hawaii and argued that the islands have suffered from mismanagement for decades. He said he is running to open opportunity, create abundance and ensure stewardship of the state’s resources, with accountability and hope for residents.
His platform focuses on several of the state’s most persistent concerns. Cordery says he wants to lower Hawaii’s high cost of living, reform education and crack down on corruption. He is also proposing a plan to add 15,000 homes for working families across the islands, with prices ranging from about $400,000 to $600,000. That housing proposal would use state-owned land for fee-simple homes, while also streamlining permitting and opening more land for residential development.
