Something unusual happened this week in local politics.

It wasn’t that Maui Rep. Elle Cochran switched party affiliations from Democrat to Republican.

It wasn’t that Hawaiʻi Republicans welcomed into their fold a lawmaker who has progressive leanings, purple hair and a nasty felony in her past.

What was unusual was that Cochran showed up to the State Capitol at all. She rarely showed up in the 2025 session, missing 51 of 60 floor sessions and a total of 1,202 committee proceedings and floor votes, the most absences by far of any elected official in the House.

But on Monday, there she was at the Capitol, talking about wanting to be a Republican so she can have a greater voice in serving her constituents.

Really? If she had just shown up to work last year, that might have helped.

A Special Commentary Project

Civil Beat is focusing on transparency, accountability and ethics in government and other institutions. Help us by sending ideas and anecdotes to sunshine@civilbeat.org.

Read More

Cochran’s stated reason for her defection doesn’t line up, but that’s so on-brand for members of today’s Republican Party, who are mostly known for fighting with each other and being available to local reporters to defend or “Trumpsplain” the latest indefensible outrage from the White House.

Gone are the days of dapper and always collegial Fred Hemmings, smart and focused Pat Saiki, earnest and gracious Charles Djou, and Gene Ward, who was more interested in issues than image. Linda Lingle had a kind of seriousness about her, like she had read all the documents and was never just winging it.

Those were Hawaiʻi Republicans who made their mark by being approachable, reasonable, civil. Even if you didn’t agree with them, you felt you could hear them out. There are some outposts of earnestness remaining, but too many Hawaiʻi Republicans hew closer to people you’d watch on a reality show but wouldn’t want to chat with at the bon dance.

If they had turned their backs on Cochran, refusing to welcome such an unreliable character onto their team, that would have been the statement of a party that has higher standards than their opposition. They should have said, “No thanks. We can do better.”

Cochran’s explanation for her almost total absence from her elected position is that she was dealing with an illness in the family. That is one of those all-purpose excuses that is considered in poor taste to question. She also said, however, that she was focused on helping her constituents in Lahaina by staying at home in Lahaina, telling Civil Beat, “My people needed me with them by their side, hand in hand, working with them … so that was my reason for being there.”

Of course, there’s speculation that Cochran jumped ship because she was facing a tough primary challenger. Ashley Olson recently announced her intention to run for District 14 as a Democrat. Olson, a longtime teacher at Lahainaluna High School, also worked a second job as a barista at Starbucks, tutoring students who came into her coffee shop to do their homework, which sounds like one of those tear-jerker stories from Facebook Reels.

About Cochran’s criminal history: It can be debated whether a mistake in a person’s past has bearing on their character 33 years later. We all love a redemption story. But this was not lifting a musubi from the corner store or a DUI arrest after some beers on the beach.

In 1993, Cochran was charged with first-degree robbery and using a firearm in a commission of a felony when she and a man named Marco DeCiaccione jacked a group of tourists in the parking lot of the Lahaina Cannery Mall. DeCiaccione pointed a .38 caliber handgun at the tourists and demanded money. A security guard jumped in to help, and Cochran tried to wrestle the gun away from the security guard. Cochran (under her maiden name, Eleanora Kellett) was charged with a Class A felony and ended up pleading no contest to a lesser charge and being sentenced to five years of probation and 200 hours of community service. Her friend Marco was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the robbery.

She was not a kid when that happened. She was 28 years old. As far as we know, she never got mixed up in anything like that again.

More recently, there was the incident after the Lahaina fires when Cochran set up a supply hub for survivors only to have the survivors show up en masse, move all the supplies away from her, and set up their own hub with new rules and new leadership. So much for getting along with others.

Cochran’s big announcement this week is most likely of little consequence. She wasn’t showing up to vote in the Legislature anyway, so the Democrats know how to do without her. If she does manage to get her purple self on a plane to come to work in Honolulu, her one vote won’t make or break the Republican caucus bills.

If she made the switch to boost her chances in this year’s primary election, switching parties doesn’t guarantee a better spot in the general. It seems short-sighted, self-inflicted, fueled with a frenzied sort of hubris.

She tried to spin it like a strong choice instead of a desperation move. Republicans tried to play it like it was a real coup, like they were proud to be getting a top-flight player.

Again, totally on-brand for this era.