Duke Aiona wants Charles Djou to be mayor of Honolulu.
The former lieutenant governor came out in support of the former congressman in the wake of his own decision Monday to not run for office himself this year.
“I seriously considered running for mayor to bring real leadership to the city that has been missing with Kirk Caldwell,” Aiona said in a statement. “Under Caldwell, the rail budget has exploded, homelessness is out of control and the city spilled thousands of gallons of raw sewage on to Waikiki and Ala Moana beach.”

Aiona added, “Charles Djou is the best person to be our next mayor. He has the integrity and intelligence to restore trust at City Hall.”
Djou’s campaign noted that former Gov. Ben Cayetano also supports Djou.
Cayetano is a Democrat and Aiona and Djou are Republicans, but the race for Honolulu mayor is nonpartisan.
Eleven candidates are in the contest, including incumbent Kirk Caldwell and former Mayor Peter Carlisle.
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About the Author
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Chad Blair is the politics editor for Civil Beat. You can reach him by email at cblair@civilbeat.org or follow him on X at @chadblairCB.