Mayor Richard Bissen announces re-election campaign

Mayor Richard T. Bissen, Jr. announced today, Nov. 8, 2025, that he will seek re-election to continue serving the people of Maui County, emphasizing steadfast leadership, community collaboration, and long-term resilience as the foundation of his 2026 campaign.

“Together, we’ve faced tremendous challenges, and together, we’ve laid the foundation for Maui Nui’s path,” Mayor Bissen said. “Now, we must continue the progress we’ve begun — rebuilding Lahaina, strengthening our communities, and restoring hope for every family who calls Maui home.”

For the County of Maui nonpartisan mayoral race, the Primary Election is Aug. 8, 2026, and the General Election is Nov. 3, 2026. Mayoral terms last four years.

Throughout Mayor Bissen’s first term, he has echoed that leadership is a form of service — one grounded in kuleana and guided by aloha ʻāina.

“Mayor Bissen leads with steadiness and humility,” Campaign Chair Naomi Nakoa Landgraf said. “His decisions reflect deep listening and a willingness to do the next right thing — even when it’s hard. That kind of leadership has helped Maui County take meaningful steps forward during extraordinary times.”

In the coming months, Bissen’s 2026 campaign team will hold community listening sessions and outreach events throughout Maui Nui to hear directly from residents about priorities, values, and actions that will create meaningful change.

Mayor Bissen’s re-election announcement video was released today across campaign and community channels. It grounds his message in place and purpose.

“We all come from somewhere,” Bissen says in the video shot at his childhood home in Kahakuloa. “For me, those roots stretch from Pāʻia to Pi‘ihana and from Keʻanae to Kahakuloa — where my childhood roots grew alongside the kalo my dad and I planted in our lo‘i. That’s where I learned village values, and what it means to work in the lepo (dirt).”

Bissen is a retired, award-winning judge and prosecutor whose community service spans three decades. He was elected as mayor by an overwhelming majority in 2022 and took office Jan. 1, 2023. His campaign provided the following list of accomplishments made during that time:

• Accelerated the delivery of local housing — completing and starting construction on more than 780 affordable and workforce units, while securing funding for 1,600+ homes that will serve kamaʻāina families for generations.
• Established the Lahaina Advisory Team and the Office of Recovery to guide Lahaina’s complex rebuilding.
• Holding more than 100 community meetings in Lahaina and in Kula to offer updates and hear feedback from impacted residents.
• Securing $1.6 billion in federal disaster relief aid, with more than $900 billion going to housing programs.
• Introduced Bill 9 to transition thousands of vacation rentals to long-term housing for local families.
• Long-term planning for sustainable tourism and small business support via the Office of Economic Development.
• Implementing innovative approaches to water management and resource development.
• Reviving the Maui County Fair after a six-year hiatus.
• Initiating Holomua Kākou to bring County government to rural communities, including Lānaʻi, Molokaʻi and Hāna.

“Through it all, my focus has remained the same — advancing kamaʻāina housing, protecting our natural and cultural resources, and strengthening recovery and well-being for all of Maui County,” Mayor Bissen said.

As Maui Nui continues to heal, Mayor Bissen said the work is far from finished.

“Together, we’ve built a foundation grounded in our collective values and the strength of our people,” he said. “But the work continues. I humbly ask for your continued support — to keep growing together in building a stronger Maui Nui for generations to come.”