Community advocate Jackie Keefe announced her candidacy for the Hawaiʻi State House of Representatives, District 14, which includes Kahakuloa, Waiheʻe, portions of Waiehu and Māʻalaea, Lahaina and Honokahua.

Keefe reports she spent the last several years building relationships and working directly with Lahaina fire survivors since August 2023. Through this work, she says, one lesson has become unmistakably clear: “our people are strong, but our systems are weak—and when systems fail, it is families who pay the price.”

While proud of her advocacy work at the individual level, Keefe says her experience navigating disaster response and recovery revealed the urgent need for more community advocates in the state legislature—leaders who understand how broken systems impact real people and are willing to challenge business as usual.

“Public office should be held by public servants,” Keefe said. “This campaign isn’t about me. It’s about engaging and empowering our community, and building a government that finally works for Maui—for Hawaiʻi nei—for our people and our place, not private interests.”

Keefe’s campaign is centered on three core priorities that reflect what she hears most from families across the district:

• Lowering the Cost of Living: Ensuring families can afford to stay in their communities through bold action on housing stability, tenant protections, energy affordability, and investment in local farmers and small businesses.
• Investing in Care for Our People: Building a strong care economy by supporting childcare, kūpuna care, and fair wages for care workers—because a society is judged by how it cares for its keiki and kūpuna.
• Protecting Wai and ʻĀina: Defending Hawaiʻi’s natural resources from exploitation and managing them with mālama ʻāina values, recognizing that the health of the land is inseparable from the well-being and safety of the people.

“If you believe in a future where our people can thrive here, I invite you to join me,” Keefe added. “Hope is vital to our collective success, and it comes from being a part of the change you wish to see.”

The District 14 House seat is currently held by Rep. Elle Cochran.

More information is available online at www.JackieKeefe.com.