KAILUA-KONA — As midnight this morning approached, it appeared Big Island Sen. Josh Green had eked out victory in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor of the state of Hawaii.
Green led fellow state Sen. Jill Tokuda by roughly 3 points, which translated into a little more than 6,500 votes, with 246 of 249 precincts reporting. Tokuda had already conceded to Green after the third printout of votes had been announced earlier in the evening.
Cautiously optimistic, Green spoke to West Hawaii Today as he drove to recently reelected Gov. David Ige’s campaign headquarters to appear with his former Senate counterpart on television to celebrate their new partnership.
Green, who represented portions of Kona and Ka‘u in the state Senate since 2008, credited his former West Hawaii constituency with carrying him over the finish line to a narrow victory.
“Really, it’s an honor that after all these years in the ER and in the clinics and all those the families I’ve met, they’ve honored me with their vote. It appears they’ve sent me to the lieutenant governorship,” he said. “The many years I’ve spent both sharing tears and extraordinary moments with our people on the Big Island meant they supported me unlike any other candidate before, and that appears to be what put us over the top.”
The Democratic primary for lieutenant governor garnered considerable attention throughout the election cycle, as more money was pumped into the race than ever before.
Much of that extra dough came to Green, particularly in the form of a more than $1 million campaign donation from Be Change Now, a super PAC connected to the Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters.
Now likely on his way to the general election and a favorite to win the lieutenant governorship, Green said Hawaii’s citizens need not be concerned as to where his loyalties lie.
“My loyalties are absolutely to the people of Hawaii, especially to the people suffering in poverty or who are homeless,” he said. “That’s where my heart’s always been.”
Green was endorsed by not only the carpenters, but also the teachers, doctors and nurses. He said his life’s work as a physician and a politician, as well as his positions on vital issues and his dedication to fighting Hawaii’s homelessness and opioid crises moving forward are what garnered the support needed for a slim victory.
He also noted community walking and extensive door knocking to the tune of 20,000 front doors as making a significant impact.
“In the end, I think that’s what made the difference,” Green said. “I hope to earn everyone’s trust moving forward because I’m going to work hard for our people.”
While Green now serves the entire state, he said he will work hard to be an advocate for the Big Island, and West Hawaii specifically, from Oahu.
He noted the recovery effort after the Kilauea volcano eruption in Puna, the extreme health care shortage on Hawaii Island, the constant challenges posed by rampant homelessness and the scourges of untreated drug addiction and mental illness to the list of issues he’ll prioritize if he becomes lieutenant governor.
“Now we will have a champion in the executive branch, if we prevail in the fall, to make sure the Big Island really sees more services,” Green said.
As to whether he’ll continue to work as a physician, Green said he’s yet undecided how much time he might devote to humanitarian medical outreach programs like those needed in Puna, for instance. But he said he won’t forget the task the state has bestowed upon him should he win the general election come November.
“My priority will always by the lieutenant governorship,” Green said.
