Lee Cataluna: It's Not What You Say, It's How Often We Have To Hear It
And, in the case of those relentless Derek Kawakami advertising spots, who’s paying for it.
May 31, 2026 · 5 min read
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Did you know that Kauaʻi Mayor Derek Kawakami is running for lieutenant governor?
Haha just kidding. How could you not?
His campaign commercial is everywhere, all the time, right in your face. You canʻt sit through the local TV news, a UH volleyball game, or a round of “Jeopardy” without being bombarded by images of Kawakami surfing, dancing, playing ukulele, pounding mochi, and — taking it completely over the top — hugging Sparky the Fire Dog. That’s a whole pile of likeability for one campaign commercial.
But wait, that is not his campaign commercial. It’s an ad from a well-funded political action committee. A politician’s campaign is not allowed to coordinate with a super PAC, so, assuming everything is on the level, it must be just the magic of editing and carefully plucked sound bites of Kawakami’s own voice and videos from his social media feed, all masterfully stitched together to look like it’s a first-person pitch for voters’ support. Amazing what can be accomplished with no coordination, yeah?
The big scary super PAC that put together the ad and paid for the ad time is called For A Better Tomorrow. It used to be called “Be Change Now,” but everybody knows that’s just the nom du jour for Pacific Resource Partnership and the Carpenters’ Union, the heavy-handed folks that have been trying to tell Hawaiʻi how to vote for years.
Kawakami’s voice narrates the 30-second ad:
“I think what people want is somebody they can relate to. They want somebody that has a proven track record of going beyond policy and getting things done. You know, in trying times, people want somebody that can lead but still bring warmth and comfort and hope and love into people’s hearts. It’s never been about power. It’s always just been about helping people. We just take a different approach to things and I think there’s a lot I can offer to the state of Hawai’i.”
Great message. But when the Carpenter’s Union is involved, Derek, it is all about power.
By all accounts, Derek Kawakami is a nice guy, full of positive energy. He’s not a stuffed shirt behind a koa desk. He’s out and about, talking to people face to face, always game to jump in and try new stuff. He’s even been known to get on stage and dance hula while former Kauaʻi Mayor Bernard Carvalho is singing a mele, which is a specific measure of bravery because Bernard is a legit crooner.
The frequency with which Kawakami’s commercial hit the airwaves seemed like overkill once Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke’s career crumbled under the weight of an ongoing bribery investigation and she was pressured to suspend her reelection campaign and take unpaid leave.
Once Luke was out of commission, it looked like Kawakami had a clear shot to the LG’s office. Why keep pushing the ads like it was crunch time in a crowded field? It seemed like a move to warn off any potential challengers. No way could anyone else top that kind of financial backing.
But John Choi jumped into the race and took a completely different tack.
Choi, an attorney, distinguished himself by boldly stating that he wants to “get big money out of local politics.” He offered himself as a grassroots alternative to PAC-supported politicians. Suffice it to say, no PACs are buying TV commercials for John Choi. That’s part of his appeal.
Then, last week, state Rep. Della Au Bellati announced that she would change course, abandon her struggling campaign for the congressional seat currently held by Ed Case, and instead run as a Democrat for LG.
That means there are now three solid choices for the Democratic primary in the race. That also means even more airtime for that Kawakami commercial.
What if it ends up backfiring?
There comes a point when overexposure turns to contempt, or at the very least, fatigue. Viva the Javanese might be a very cute dog, but that Craigside commercial has me scrambling to change the channel every single time. Y’all may love your Fujitsu, but after all these years, that tag line kind of chafes.
Kawakami seems like an authentic guy. He should be careful that the carefully crafted campaign commercial that his campaign did not coordinate doesn’t go too far and make voters sick of how much the Carpenters’ Union likes him.
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