Editor’s Note: Civil Beat has asked candidates for the Hawaiʻi general election on Nov. 3 to answer a survey about where they stand on various issues and what their priorities will be if elected.

The following comes from Cristina (Tina) Holt, Democratic candidate for State House District 2 covering Hilo.

Her opponent in the Aug. 8 primary is Democratic incumbent Sue Keohokapu-Lee Loy.

The winner of the primary will face Republican candidate Jonathan Kennealy in the 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?

I am done waiting for pay-to-play politicians to finally wake up and revolutionize themselves. I am dedicated to being the change I want to see, and am beholden only to the people of Hilo. I have spent years fighting to make our government more transparent and accountable before deciding to run myself. I organize around good government reforms, educate my community on bills and how to participate and organized around 70 bills this year alone. I am a regular person, fighting for regular people.

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?

People in Hilo are working two-plus jobs and still cannot make ends meet comfortably. Housing costs have exploded while wages stayed flat and outside investors keep snatching up what little is left. I would fight to tax vacant investment properties and empty vacation homes owned by people who do not live here, putting that money directly into housing for local families. And I would push to streamline permitting for affordable housing so homes for working people get built faster than luxury builds.

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

No. Monopolies drive up costs and kill accountability. Right now Young Brothers is charging Hawaiʻi families more while missing shipments, leaving communities without goods they were counting on. When one company controls the market with no real competition there is simply no reason for them to perform better or charge less. We deserve shipping that is reliable, affordable and accountable to the people who depend on it. That requires real competition and real transparency, not a protected monopoly.

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?

The new top tax bracket on households earning over $500,000 a year was real progress and long overdue. What should have passed but didn’t: The conveyance tax on luxury real estate sales. It had broad support, would have generated $170 million for affordable housing, and the Senate buried it without a hearing. Classic pay-to-play. What I wish had failed: Burying the rooftop solar tax credit inside the budget deal. They cut a program helping working families access clean energy to balance the books.

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?

This is not a one-off. It is what happens when there are no real guardrails. The Legislature needs independent investigators who do not answer to the very people being investigated, full public disclosure of every gift and relationship between our representatives and outside interests, and real protection for anyone who speaks up. Right now our representatives are in charge of holding themselves accountable. Voluntary reform from people cashing the checks is not reform. It is theater.

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?

Konawaena kids are still on remote learning because we deferred maintenance for decades and the building flooded. Meanwhile our governor wants millions for a new jail. That tells you everything about who is currently in charge. As your rep, I would fight to fund school and public building repairs before disaster strikes, invest in watershed restoration that naturally reduces flooding and make sure every community has emergency systems that actually reach everyone.

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?

As your representative, I would work to fund restoration of native watersheds and vegetation that naturally protect us from flooding and erosion, accelerate the shift to community-owned renewable energy so we stop sending money to fossil fuel companies, and make sure state disaster funds reach neighbor island communities fast. The developers and speculators who profit from our land should be funding the climate adaptation our families need, not our families themselves.

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?

The problem is not the number of bills. It is backroom deals and representatives who treat this like a part-time gig while collecting a full-time salary plus per diem. I support a longer session with a mandatory one-to-two-month mid-session community period where lawmakers go home, hold town halls, report to constituents, and follow their lead before final votes are cast. I also support taking away unilateral power from committee chairs to kill bills.

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. Every working family in Hilo has to know what things cost before they decide to buy them. You do not sign a lease without knowing the rent. You do not fix the car without getting an estimate first. Our representatives, with entire research offices and staff at their disposal, should be doing at least that much. Passing legislation without a price tag is irresponsible and it is exactly how we end up with unfunded promises and broken programs.

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 for term limits. Real leaders mentor the next generation and lift them to take their rightful place at the helm as soon as possible. When politicians cling to office for decades they lose perspective, lose touch with regular life, and start confusing their own ambition with public service. That addiction to position is one of the main reasons voters no longer trust the Democratic Party and honestly they are right not to. Term limits force the humility this job demands.

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

Our kids deserve better. Teachers spend years learning their craft and still cannot afford to live here. We must increase their wages. We also need to fix school buildings to keep our kids safe. And we pay for all of this with money that, by law, the military owes because their land pays no property taxes but they use our school system. This shortfall is decades in the making—millions owed, and this year alone the federal government froze $33 million our schools were already counting on.

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

Hawaiʻi’s economy needs to work for the people who live here first. That means investing in local food production, community owned energy, small businesses, and cooperative models that keep money circulating here instead of flowing to big money interests on the continent. An economy built on peace, sustainability, and care for one another is not a fantasy. It is a choice. Tourism can be part of our future but it cannot be all of it. Our people deserve more than that.

An estimated 60% of Hawaiʻi 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?

The middle class was built on purpose and it is disappearing the same way. We know what works: minimum wage increases tied to the cost of living, strong unions and taxing wealth like we tax income. Governments that have done this saw poverty fall, unemployment drop and no inflation. The money to do this exists right here, right now. I will fight for a living wage, affordable housing and a tax structure that asks the most from those who have the most.