Gubernatorial candidate Colleen Hanabusa pledged to establish roles in her executive Cabinet for representatives of the senior and millennials, should she be elected governor. The pledge was made during the recent “The Race for Governor” live televised gubernatorial debate presented by AARP Hawai‘i on KHON2.

“Our senior and millennial generations make up the largest percentages of our population, so it’s only right to ensure they are adequately represented,” Hanabusa said. “That’s why, should I be elected governor, I will establish these meaningful roles. I have a vision of Hawai‘i as a place where our kupuna are healthy, safe, productive and connected to loved ones, and it will take adequate funding for kupuna care to meet their needs.

“One of the most intriguing things in the campaign has been millennials, and I have a campaign headquarters that is filled with millennials. They are responding because we take the time to talk and listen to them,” said Hanabusa.

Similar sentiment was shared during a visit on Thursday to our Maui Now offices in Kahului. During an interview with Maui Now’s Wendy Osher, Hanabusa shared her thoughts on the campaign so far including impressions on housing, homelessness and the cost of living.

Rep. Hanabusa is among a list of thirteen candidates in the race for governor, and one of six running on the Democratic ticket. Her campaign committee reports it has raised a total of $1,043,061 in the first six months of 2018. Hanabusa is hoping to unseat Governor David Ige who reported raising $733,922 for the primary election campaign contribution period of Jan. 1, 2018 to June 30, 2018.