Gary Cordery Faces Challenges in Hawaii Governor Race

Gary Cordery, owner of a contracting company, has secured the Republican nomination for Hawaii governor after triumphing over business owner Ken Fujiyama in the primary election. He is slated to compete against Democratic Governor Josh Green in the upcoming November election, where the odds heavily favor the incumbent. The Cook Political Report classifies the race as Solid Democratic, with a Partisan Voting Index of D+13.

Cordery encounters significant hurdles in this race. Hawaii has not seen a Republican governor since Linda Lingle’s tenure ended in 2010. Despite facing an incumbent with a 56% approval rating and a state with a longstanding Democratic majority, Cordery also faces financial challenges. Governor Green’s campaign has amassed roughly $3.5 million compared to Cordery’s $313,000, as per information from Honolulu Civil Beat.

Despite the challenges, Cordery aims to attract voters with a platform focused on reducing Hawaii’s high cost of living, reforming education, and addressing corruption. Cordery said, “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.” His plans involve constructing 15,000 homes priced between $400,000 to $600,000 for working families, leveraging state-owned land for housing, and simplifying the permitting process to enhance residential development.

In addition, Cordery proposes removing the state’s General Excise Tax on food and medicine and implementing a freeze on property taxes for retirees. He believes the state improperly manages taxpayer funds and plans to initiate audits to expose and eliminate waste. He commented, “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, a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, covers national politics.