Brenton Awa

RHawaii State Senator, District 23

Brenton Awa is the Republican nominee and a sitting Hawaii state senator representing District 23 (Windward and North Shore Oahu), first elected in 2022.[1][3]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

On the record — official actions

  • actionServes on the Hawaii State Senate's Agriculture and Environment, Commerce and Consumer Protection, and Judiciary committees (2025-2026 term).[3]
  • vote2025-03-04 · Voted no on SB 401 (banning the sale, manufacture, and possession of assault pistols and other rifles/shotguns meeting statutory criteria), which passed the Hawai'i Senate 20-5 on March 4, 2025.[10]
  • vote2024-05-01 · Voted no on SB 3202 (allowing up to two accessory dwelling units on residential lots statewide), which passed the Hawai'i Senate 16-9 on May 1, 2024.[11]
  • vote2025-05-02 · Voted no on SB 1396 (raising the transient accommodations tax and applying it to cruise ships to fund climate and environmental programs, the "Green Fee"), which passed the Hawai'i Senate 23-2 on May 2, 2025.[12]

Positions on the issues

  • OpposesStricter gun lawsFrom recorded votes

    Voted no on SB 401, which banned the sale, manufacture, and possession of assault pistols and certain other semi-automatic firearms.[10]

  • OpposesLoosen zoning rules to build more housingFrom recorded votes

    Voted no on SB 3202, which allowed up to two accessory dwelling units on residential lots statewide.[11]

Background

  • Born in Ka'a'awa, Hawaii; graduated from Kahuku High School in 2004.[3]
  • Elected to the Hawaii State Senate in 2022 and re-elected in 2024.[3]

Campaign money

Raised $123K · spent $107K · $16K cash on hand (through 2026-07-19) FEC filing ↗

Also on the ballot for this seat: Jill Tokuda, Edward Codelia · Compare side by side

Sources cited in this profile

  1. 1.Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District election, 2026 · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  2. 3.Brenton Awa · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  3. 10.Status/vote history, SB 401 (2025) — assault weapons ban — Senate Third Reading roll call · Hawai'i State Legislature · 2025-03-04 Official record
  4. 11.Status/vote history, SB 3202 (2024) — statewide accessory dwelling unit zoning — Senate Final Reading roll call · Hawai'i State Legislature · 2024-05-01 Official record
  5. 12.Status/vote history, SB 1396 (2025) — transient accommodations tax increase ("Green Fee") — Senate Final Reading roll call · Hawai'i State Legislature · 2025-05-02 Official record