Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Keith Kaneshiro made it official. He’s running for re-election.

On Wednesday, Kaneshiro filed his nomination papers with the Honolulu City Clerk’s Office. There’s no surprise here. Kaneshiro likes locking up criminals, and he’d like to do it for another four years.

Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Keith Kaneshiro wants to stay in elected office.
Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Keith Kaneshiro wants to stay in elected office. Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat

It doesn’t look like he’ll have much competition either. Only one other person has pulled papers, Anosh Yaqoob, but he’s a relative unknown. Kaneshiro has been Honolulu’s top prosecutor since 2010. He also served in the position from 1989 to 1996.

In a press release, Kaneshiro said that his priorities are elder abuse, domestic violence, sex assault, animal cruelty and cybercrime. He also said that sex trafficking is a priority, although there are some who have criticized him for focusing too much on prosecuting prostitutes rather than their pimps.

According to the Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission, Kaneshiro had nearly $100,000 in cash on hand as of Dec. 31, 2015, which was the end of the most recent campaign finance reporting period.

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that Kaneshiro has served two stints as Honolulu prosecuting attorney. An earlier version stated he was first elected in 2010.

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