“Hawaii’s 2026 gubernatorial race may have just begun—and most people didn’t even notice.”
PC: “Josh Green Official Photo 2022 (cropped) (cropped)” by Aloha102 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
That is what this blogger thought right when the applause started at the end of Hawaii Governor Josh Green’s 2025 State of the State address at the Hawaii State Capitol.
If not for the sheer volume of political events unfolding both in Hawaii and on the mainland, more people might have picked up on that. But given the ever-present political noise, it’s understandable that this conclusion went unnoticed by many.
As the speech went on, which wasn’t all that long, there was some recall by this blogger of a time when lower office holders, looking to level up to the Governor, would put on half-hour infomercials on local TV. These programs, typically done on Sunday evening right after the evening news, would demonstrate one of two main ideas – what they have done in office already or what they plan to do in office that may catapult them higher.
Two examples in Hawaii’s political history come front and center – the 1994 infomercial by then-Honolulu Mayor Frank Fasi, just before he resigned and ran for Governor under the “Best Party” label. The biggest recall from that show was the voiceover effusively describing how Fasi brought “TheBus” to Honolulu by going to Texas and getting buses shipped from there to start the service.
The second example was when Fasi’s replacement who became Honolulu Mayor in his own right – Jeremy Harris –also ran an infomercial around 2004, talking about his plan for the Downtown Honolulu waterfront, replacing Nimitz Highway with a waterfront promenade. It came with wildly nice-looking art that seemed laced with “I may never become governor, but I am still working to be relevant”.
(And, if you are up for it, you can read that whole plan here)
For both, in the end, the programs didn’t move needles so much to get either of them to win the office of Governor. And in the case of Harris, it didn’t even get him out of the gate as a formal candidate.
(At least for Fasi, looking at the record, he came in second behind Ben Cayetano in the General Election, beating out the Hawaii Republican Party).
PC: tamingtheaibeast.org, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
So, in watching Governor Green’s State of the State presentation, he went toward the “what have I/we done so far” line and launched into listing out those achievements. From describing what he has done with homelessness (building more and more Kauhale’s, to making sure that money was allocated for the recovery of Lahaina, he laid out issues and how he is addressing them.
With no significant opposition emerging—either in the primary or general election—Governor Green’s speech didn’t need to be groundbreaking to serve as a soft launch for his reelection campaign. His progress on key issues, such as affordability (highlighted by the income tax cut he signed into law) and public safety (addressing fireworks with emotional resonance), may be enough, for now, to deter serious challengers.
While the formal campaign has yet to begin, Green’s record is already setting the stage for 2026. His methodical approach has, so far, positioned him as the dominant figure in the race—but politics is anything but predictable. The real test will be whether he can sustain momentum and navigate the unforeseen challenges that could shift the political landscape before voters head to the polls.
Politics Hawaii with Stan Fichtman is a recipient of a 2023 Hawaii Society of Professional Journalist award.