In the race for Maui County mayor, County Council Vice Chair Yuki Lei Sugimura is outpacing incumbent Richard Bissen in campaign funds as both candidates rake in the cash and spend heavily with less than a month before the Aug. 8 primary election.

Since announcing her candidacy in January, Sugimura has brought in $320,325 compared to Bissen’s $228,911 as of June 30, according to campaign spending reports filed this week. Across the total election period to date, Sugimura has raised $335,423 to Bissen’s $292,647.

“We have been working hard to achieve where we’re trying to go, but I’m just thrilled,” Sugimura told the Hawai‘i Journalism Initiative on Friday. 

Bissen said in a statement on Friday: “I’m incredibly grateful for the support our campaign has received. Every contribution, regardless of its size, represents someone who believes in the work we’re doing and wants to see that work continue.”

Sugimura is Bissen’s most prominent challenger in a crowded, 10-candidate field. She carried a lead of at least 10 points in two recent polls backed by groups supportive of her, although polling from Bissen’s own camp showed him with a 6-point advantage.

Still, Sugimura sees herself as “the underdog” given the incumbent advantage and said she didn’t expect to be leading campaign donations. 

Both campaigns are well-funded and spending big. Sugimura shelled out $283,869 from January to June and a total of $307,872 across the election period. Bissen spent $186,590 from January to June and a total of $238,234.

This leaves Sugimura with a war chest of $114,239. Bissen has $69,654 on hand, which includes $28,302 in loans. 

The scenario is a reversal of 2022 when Bissen, then the challenger, had raised nearly four times as much as then-incumbent Mayor Michael Victorino with a month to go before the primary election. Bissen finished first in the primary and went on to unseat Victorino. 

“I think that just gives you an indication of how in danger he is,” Hawai‘i political analyst Colin Moore said. “Because in a lot of ways, Sugimura is repeating what he managed to do when he ran against Victorino — running as an alternative, as a change candidate, polling well and outraising.”

Sugimura said she couldn’t speak to what Bissen did in 2022, but she noted “that’s why we’re working hard.”

“Our goals are the same — we want to win,” Sugimura said of herself and Bissen. “The fundraising support that we have is very encouraging, (and) I’m grateful. But it’s not done, right? It’s going to continue. I wish I could say, oh, that means we’re going to win.”

Sugimura credited the high fundraising totals to her campaign’s “open door” policy and efforts to talk to people in the community, as well as her focus on housing and lowering costs. Her opposition to Bill 9, the measure proposed by Bissen to phase out thousands of short-term rentals in hopes of creating more housing after the Aug. 8, 2023 wildfire, propelled her mayoral run. She says the solution is “to build houses, not to take houses.” 

“My absolute platform is to keep local families home, building housing, infrastructure, and do the things that the county does best, private-public partnerships,” she said. “I am so committed to doing that.”

Bill 9 is likely to be a motivator for some donors. The California-based Committee to Expand the Middle Class Candidate Committee sponsored by Airbnb, the vacation rental giant, gave the maximum allowed $4,000 to Sugimura’s campaign. She emphasized that campaign contributions would not influence her actions.

“My position on Bill 9 is very clear,” she said via text. “So no one can change my vote.”

Bissen has continued to stand by Bill 9, which he has said would open up much-needed housing for local residents and mostly impact off-island owners. He defended the policies of his first term, saying every decision “has been guided by what’s in the best interest of our community.”

“No matter how difficult, our administration has had the courage to put that principle first,” he stated. “I know those decisions won’t always satisfy every interest or avoid political criticism, but I’ve never governed based on politics or pressure.”

He noted that the amount of support going into the race “reflects what’s at stake for Maui County.”

“At the end of the day, no contribution is more powerful than a single vote,” he said. “Every voter has an equal voice, and that’s what will decide this election.”

While Bissen and Sugimura command most of the funding in the race, mayoral candidate P. Denise La Costa’s campaign has been making a big push with a barrage of online and social media political ads, emphasizing fire recovery and affordable housing with the slogan, “The Cost Cutter.” The Campaign Spending Commission’s website showed no spending records for her as of Saturday, though La Costa told the Hawai‘i Journalism Initiative that she had filed her report and planned to check with the commission on Monday.

Reports were not available for any of the other candidates except for Travis Liggett, whose disclosures showed total receipts of $210, and Amy Petterson, whose disclosures showed no contributions. The deadline to file was Thursday.

In a show of just how competitive the race for lead position is, big donors are dividing their support between both Bissen and Sugimura. Stephen Goodfellow, chairman of contractor Goodfellow Bros., and Mei Lee Dowling, project manager for Wailuku developer Dowling Co., both gave $4,000 to each campaign.

The Honolulu-based IBEW 1186 PAC that represents electrical workers contributed $2,000 each to Bissen and Sugimura. Mark Mugiishi, CEO of health care insurance company HMSA, gave $1,000 to Sugimura and $500 to Bissen.

Both candidates are pulling from similar pools of support that include labor unions, businesses, developers and contractors.

“It’s a good indication that the politically connected people on Maui and the businesses see this as a toss-up as well, and they’re trying to … hedge their bets,” Moore said. 

Some of Sugimura’s top donors include labor union political action committees, such as the Masons Local 630 PAC and Hawai‘i Laborers PAC, who each gave $4,000; the Plumbers and Pipefitters PAC and Hawai‘i LECET (Laborers & Employers Cooperation and Education Trust) PAC, which each gave $3,000; the Hawai‘i Carpenters PAC and IBEW Local 1260 PAC, which each gave $2,000. 

She also drew support from many business owners and officials, including Valley Isle Produce President Nelson Okumura, Mahi Pono Senior Vice President Grant Nakama, ABC Stores CEO Paul Kosasa, Y. Hata & Co. Chairman Russell Hata, and Maui Powerhouse Gym owner Peter Shenkin, who each gave $4,000. Car rental sharing business Turo also contributed $4,000, and shipping company Matson shelled out $2,000.

MTP Operating Co., which owns the Maui Tropical Plantation, also gave just shy of $4,000 for food and beverages at a luncheon announcing Sugimura’s mayoral run. The Waikapū business is owned by Mike Atherton, the developer behind Waikapū Country Town, a master-planned future community of 1,500 homes, businesses and a new elementary school.

Sugimura’s political connections are also clear in her campaign contributions, with donors including the Friends of Kyle Yamashita ($2,000), Upcountry Maui’s state representative; Friends of Gregg Takayama ($2,000), state representative for O‘ahu District 34; Friends of Troy Hashimoto ($1,000), Central Maui’s state senator; Friends of Esther Kia‘āina ($500), a Honolulu City Council member from Windward O‘ahu; and Friends of Mark Hashem ($500), a state representative for O‘ahu District 19. 

Craig Hirai, Honolulu City and County’s chief of affordable housing policy and strategy, also gave Sugimura $2,000. 

Chuck Bergson, president and CEO of Pacific Media Group and board member of the Hawai‘i Journalism Initiative, also contributed $1,000 to Sugimura’s campaign. HJI’s newsroom operates independently and the board is not involved in editorial decisions. HJI is also not endorsing a candidate in the race.

Sugimura said the first campaign contributions she ever received when she ran for the Maui County Council’s Upcountry seat in 2016 came from her mom’s friends. Now she sees donations from former classmates and friends she grew up with, “and I think the depth of the community speaks for the work that I’ve been doing for these past 10 years, which is community driven.”

Bissen also has many donors who gave the maximum $4,000, including unions ILWU Local 142 and Operating Engineers 3 District No. 17; Bert Kobayashi Jr., CEO of Blacksand Capital, owner of the Royal Lahaina Resort; Ledcor Development, the company behind a 1,500-acre master-planned resort community in Wailea; and Doc Costa, manager of Costa Sales and Service, a commercial food equipment company in Kahului.

Four employees of Nan Inc., whom Maui County struck an agreement with in 2024 to buy nearly 80 acres for $4 million to expand the Central Maui Landfill for wildfire debris and long-term disposal needs, also gave $4,000 each. They are owner Nan Shin, Nan engineers Fooney Freestone and Ryan Nakaima, and bookkeeper Jinny Miranda. 

Bissen also earned the support of key figures in the wildfire recovery, including Micah Kāne, former CEO and president of the Hawai‘i Community Foundation that is stewarding the $212 million Maui Strong Fund. Kāne, now the CEO of Parker Ranch on Hawai‘i island, gave $2,000. Kūhiō Lewis, president and CEO of the Hawaiian Council that created the Kako‘o Maui recovery hub and has been involved in multiple housing and relief programs, donated $1,000 to the Bissen campaign.

Many Bissen administration officials have donated to his campaign, which also was the case of Victorino administration officials when he ran for reelection in 2022. 

Bissen’s top county donors include Deputy Managing Director Erin Wade, who gave $3,500; Chief of Staff Cynthia Lallo, who gave $2,075; Finance Director Marcy Martin and Deputy Finance Director Maria Zielinksi, who each contributed $2,000; and Environmental Management Director Shayne Agawa, who put in $1,000. Several other county officials made contributions under $1,000 to Bissen.

Moore, who is also the director of the Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, said he expected Sugimura would do well in fundraising as “a veteran political figure,” but he still found it “surprising” to see she had raised more money than Bissen. He added that he was “a little surprised to see how aggressively Bissen had spent down this early.”

“Strategically, I could see how you’d want to do that if you were in a challenging reelection situation as an incumbent,” Moore said.

He pointed out that despite the advantage of being the incumbent, Bissen also has the challenge of changing the minds of people who have already formed opinions about him in his first term as mayor. Sugimura is also well known, but “in a lot of ways, she’s reintroducing herself to the public” in her bid for a different office. 

“It’s a more difficult campaign and PR operation to persuade voters who might’ve voted for you last time, but have drifted away,” Moore said. “Once you’re behind, it’s hard to catch up as the incumbent.”

But at the end of the day, Moore said, the campaign contributions and conflicting polls aren’t decisive. 

“What I’d say is it shows a really tight race and that there’s lots of politically active people and interests who are invested in her success,” he said of Sugimura. “I think the only thing you can really take away from these numbers is that she is a very competitive challenger.”

Moore believes one thing is clear: “This is going to be a very close match to the very end.”