Editor’s note: Civil Beat has asked candidates for the primary election to answer a survey about where they stand on various issues and what their priorities will be if elected.

The following comes from Dan Johnson, a Republican candidate for state House District 12, covering parts of Keahua and Haliʻimaile, Pukalani, Makawao, Pūlehu, Waiakoa, Kua and Kēōkea in Upcounty Maui.

He is running unopposed. He will face the winner of the Democratic primary in the November general election.

Go to Civil Beat’s 2026 Elections Guide for general information, and check out the other candidates on Civil Beatʻs 2026 Hawaiʻi Primary Ballot.

Why are you best suited for the job? And why do you want the job?

It’s time for change and a move back to the center for balance in our Legislature. Our state is experiencing serious cost of living struggles and housing affordability problems. My experience as a construction project manager and prior work in the financial sector would be key for a fresh perspective in such a time as this. As a Maui-born, multi-generational resident, I also have the pulse of local families, and have a calling to preserve our way of life.

What is the biggest issue facing your district, and what is the first thing you would do to address it in the first six months after being elected?

The entire state is struggling with cost of living, and this is the forefront of everything. However, for Upcountry Maui specifically, water rights and access are our Achilles heel. I will allocate funding for the state to upgrade and modernize our water infrastructure. We need more water storage to sustainably increase the water supply when reservoirs are filled during the rainy seasons and hold over during the drought seasons. Not enough has been done, and 20-plus-year waitlists need to end.

Here’s one question from your constituents: Do you support maintaining a monopoly for interisland shipping?

No, monopolies are never beneficial to the public. Young Brothers keeps getting bailed out through authorized shipping rate increases, but in a truly free market there would be inherent pressures to optimize running an efficient business for profitability. If the PUC stops bailing them out, they would be forced to figure out how to operate more efficiently on their own. This may allow room for competition to enter the market as well.

What do you think were the most important bills to come out of the 2026 Legislature? What failed that should have passed? What passed that you wish had failed?

We need to think out of the box with solving our housing affordability crisis. SB 3028 tried to change incentives through Conveyance Tax, which is something that I advocated for four years ago, but done differently as a way to discourage non-owner occupied property. A bill that passed that shouldn’t have was SB3125, supported by my opponent. This was promoted as a tax cut, but actually kept things the same, instead increasing taxes on certain brackets, and also harmed the renewable energy industry

The 2026 session was also overshadowed by an issue of public trust: $35,000 in the brown paper bag given to an “influential” state lawmaker. What do you think the Legislature needs to do going forward to rebuild public confidence in state government?

We all know this has been going on. We have laws to prosecute corruption, but nothing gets done. We need a Republican governor to actually investigate and enforce our laws. SB 2471 should be interesting to watch how corporate money gets spent, but it’s often dark money distributed through multiple individuals, not through a corporate entity. Term limits is also an important part of the answer to me.

In recent years, Hawai’i has experienced a series of damaging and dangerous weather events that have exposed weaknesses in our planning, preparation and response. What could you as a lawmaker do to help your district be better prepared?

With the recent 2023 Lahaina and Kula fires in mind, our state should allocate resources to harden our utility grid, and require burying all new transmission lines underground. Our administrative branch needs to enforce the noticing and removal of dried brush from vacant lands. The Legislature could support this by increasing the fines for noncompliance.

What would you do in office to address the here and now of climate change? And how would you address the costs to taxpayers, property owners and businesses to adapt?

Individuals and businesses need to be able to protect their own property. Shoreline erosion is currently an unrecoverable cost for many property owners. Alterations to environmental regulations are needed to allow for seawalls to be more easily permitted and constructed where appropriate. Grandfathering of property lines needs to be discussed as we approach situations like where properties on Front Street in Lahaina are being reviewed for rebuilding.

Over 3,000 bills are introduced every session and there is always frantic horsetrading in the final days of session. Do you think there should be a limit on the number of bills introduced to enable more meaningful debate?

I hadn’t considered this before, but I would not be opposed to a limit. I can see how this would improve the quality of bills and expedite review of important issues.

Hawaiʻi lawmakers are often in the dark about how much a piece of legislation will cost because the Aloha State is the only one in the nation that doesn’t require a fiscal analysis for bills. Should lawmakers be forced to put a realistic price tag on the legislation they introduce?

Yes, we should require all legislation to have a cost impact analysis.

There are no term limits for state legislators in Hawaiʻi, so incumbents tend to win. Would you seek to change that? Why or why not?

Yes, we need term limits. We need more turn over and new ideas in policy making, and less career politicians. I believe this is also hand-in-hand with reducing corruption potential as well.

What would you do to help improve the state’s public school system?

I support the creation of a voucher system in which a parent would receive either a tax credit or funds to place their child in a school of their choice. In states that have a voucher system like Florida, research has actually shown that students’ test scores in public schools have significantly improved. This is because of more competition in schooling, and less of a strain on the public school infrastructure. I would also support elected school boards instead of them being appointed.

Hawaiʻi is heavily reliant on tourism. What would you propose to diversify Hawaiʻi’s economy?

Food security and preparedness are immediate steps that we should take to both diversify and strengthen our future. One thing that our state could do to support local farming and agriculture would be to require the Department of Education to purchase 50% of its food from local sources. This would both increase the health of our students and support the agricultural industry.

An estimated 60% of Hawaii residents are struggling to get by. It’s a problem that reaches far beyond low-income folks and into the middle class, which is disappearing. What would you do to help?

I’m a supporter of exempting food and medicine from GE tax. We are one of the only states that charge tax on medical services, and there are many others that do not tax food. Right there, that would reduce the cost of living by 5% or more depending on the individual. We also need to do some serious work reducing the cost of housing, through property tax cuts for owner-occupants, and creating bonds for low-cost mortgages.