Brenton Awa is the Republican nominee and a Hawaii state senator for District 23 (Windward and North Shore Oahu), first elected in 2022 and Senate minority leader. A former television journalist, he has said he would serve only one term in Congress. His campaign says it is focused on housing affordability and restoring Hawaii's federal influence.[1][2][3][4]
Awa was born in Ka'a'awa, Oahu, on February 19, 1986, and raised in Kahalu'u, and he graduated from Kahuku High School in 2004. According to Wikipedia, he earned a degree in speech communication and leadership from Clarion University of Pennsylvania (now Pennsylvania Western University - Clarion), where he wrestled.[1][3] Wikipedia says he began his television news career in 2009 at KGMB in Honolulu and joined KITV as a reporter in 2015, later serving as morning and evening anchor. Hawaii News Now describes him as a former television journalist.[3][4]
Awa won election to the Hawaii State Senate in November 2022, defeating incumbent Democrat Gil Riviere 51.3 to 48.7 percent, and was re-elected in 2024 over Ben Shafer, 52.7 to 47.3 percent.[1] He has served as Senate minority leader since 2024 and sits on the Agriculture and Environment, Commerce and Consumer Protection, and Judiciary committees (2025-2026). According to his campaign website, his Senate work includes intervening in a state plan to raise rents for Waiahole farmers, creating roadside food forests in Kahalu'u and Hale'iwa, and passing a bill through the Senate to ban foreign ownership of agricultural land.[1][2][3][4]
Awa announced his run for Congress in October 2025 while keeping his Senate seat, whose term runs to 2028, and ran unopposed in the August 8, 2026 Republican primary.[5][4]
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.
