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Former Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell this week announced his candidacy for governor with a series of advertisements in daily newspapers across the islands that included the headline, “Even though some believe I can’t win.”
“I wanted people to know that I was realistic about the state of affairs in the gubernatorial race. I’ve made some tough and sometimes unpopular decisions as mayor, especially in this terrible first year of Covid. But it’s always more important to do what’s needed for health and safety, and not for political reasons,” Caldwell said in a statement to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Wednesday.
The ad lays out a number of actions Caldwell would push for if elected, including the development of “tens of thousands” of affordable housing on state land; Elimination of the state consumption tax on groceries, medicines and diapers and reducing income taxes for low- and middle-income workers; Expanding the city’s troubled railroad project to the University of Hawaii; providing accommodation for native Hawaiians; “dramatically” increasing government response to climate change; and statewide highway improvements.
Hawaii‘s primary is on August 13th. Caldwell’s main competitors to date have included Lt. gov. Josh Green and entrepreneur and former First Lady Vicky Cayetano.
Because Green has a strong lead in pre-election polls and campaign contributions, Caldwell told Star Advertiser that many questioned his decision to run for governor. As a two-year mayor of Honolulu, who first won the office in 2012, he said he knows the challenges of leadership firsthand.
“I know what it’s like to make difficult decisions and be solely responsible for them,” Caldwell said. “As we emerge from the dark cloud of Covid and face other day-to-day issues, it is the wrong time to put our future in the hands of an inexperienced leader. I will move us forward towards a stronger and more resilient Hawaii.”
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