New campaign finance reports for state and county elections show political newcomers and other candidates in tight races are among those who have done the best in fundraising so far this year.

A Civil Beat analysis of hundreds of reports filed Friday looked into some of the $3.7 million from more than 3,000 individual donors that flowed into campaign coffers so far this year. The reports cover the first six months of the year and give the public insight into who is paying to support election efforts.

Who is donating to whom has taken on new importance in recent years as ongoing corruption investigations have roiled Hawaiʻi. Campaign donations figured heavily in all of them – from a wealthy donor-turned briber who brought down state legislators, to a developer accused of trying to influence city officials with donations. Now, additional campaign spending violations are being considered against Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, who cancelled her reelection bid and went on unpaid leave in April as questions swirled over $10,000 she failed to report from another prolific donor.

Much of the campaign funds this year have come from familiar sources such as labor unions, lobbyists, developers and contractors. 

This report is critical because it covers the period when candidates usually stock up on campaign funds as election season gets underway. It also gives the public an idea of who is supporting candidates and, therefore, who could have their ear if they are elected to office. 

Here’s what we found:

Kawakami Leads In LG Race

Kauaʻi Mayor Derek Kawakami has an enormous money advantage in the race to replace Luke as lieutenant governor. He’s raised three times as much as the next closest candidate, Rep. Della Au Belatti, and is outspending her 11-to-1.

Some notable donations include $12,500 from five employees of the engineering firm R.M. Towill, $6,500 from three employees of developer Kobayashi Group, and $6,000 each from Andy Winer and Jesse McCollum, two founding partners of the Wayfinder Group lobbying firm. Winer is a savvy political operative and a key consultant for Gov. Josh Green.

Kawakami is also benefitting from television and radio ads paid for by the super PAC For A Better Tomorrow, an offshoot of the Pacific Resource Partnership. The group advocates for local contractors that employ members of the carpenters union.

How much that support amounts to won’t be known until later this month when PACs are required to file campaign finance disclosures.

More: Trust, Income Tax And Green Fees: Lieutenant Governor Candidate Q&As

Green’s Top Donors

The governor’s reelection campaign reported raising more than $521,000 this year. 

Officers and employees of the Hawaiian Electric Co. and Hawaiian Electric Industries donated a combined $11,350 to Green. Employees of banks were also among Green’s top donors including First Hawaiian Bank ($19,289) and Central Pacific Bank ($8,000). 

Former Bank of Hawaiʻi CEO Peter Ho also contributed $6,000 to Green’s campaign, the maximum amount allowed in gubernatorial races. Green received 17 such donations. Other people and organizations maxing out their donations to Green include the Hawaiʻi Regional Council of Carpenters, the Hawaiʻi Laborers PAC, HPM Building Supply and Chicago real estate tycoon Neil Bluhm.

One of those $6,000 contributions comes from the campaign fund of May Mizuno, wife of former Rep. John Mizuno who is once again running for a seat to represent Kalihi. John Mizuno was the governor’s homelessness coordinator before being sidelined after raising concerns over the state’s multimillion-dollar tiny homes program that is now under scrutiny by the state auditor. May Mizuno was a former member of the state House who lost a 2024 election.

Green also spent more than half-a-million dollars on consultants, ads, events and other campaign expenditures. That includes refunds of $16,255 to 16 donors. One of those refunds was a $100 reimbursement to Leo Asuncion, the former Public Utilities Commission chair who had been a campaign treasurer for Luke and received a target letter in a state corruption investigation.

The other democratic candidates for governor – Duke Bourgoin, George Lucas-Tadeo and Lauren Kapoliahiiaka Shim – did not report raising any money.

New Faces Top Fundraiser List

Incumbents typically dominate in the campaign spending game, but several newcomers and challengers have managed to get into the Top 10 of fundraisers.

Those include Tricia Nakamatsu, a government attorney running for Senate District 13, and Derek Turbin, a candidate for House District 21. All three are in competitive primary races for what are essential open seats in the Legislature.

Realtors Dole Out The Dough

The Hawaiʻi Realtors political action committee was the top donor of the last six months, even if all of its donations came in the last two weeks of June. The campaign donations have primarily gone to candidates for seats in the Legislature.

The rest of the Top 10 includes labor unions representing longshoremen, carpenters, plumbers, electrical workers, laborers and government employees. The Patsy Mink PAC, which backs candidates who support abortion rights, is also up there, as is the MK Advocacy Group, one of the Legislature’s top lobby shops.

And the largest single contributor that is a human being rather than an organization or other entity is Takashi Sugimura, an immediate family member of Maui mayoral candidate Yuki Lei Sugimura. He donated $20,000 to her campaign.

The next batch of campaign finance reports are expected on July 29. Those reports will cover candidate fundraising for most of July as well as expenditures and contributions for PACs from Jan. 1 to July 24.

This week, Civil Beat plans to look at money flowing into key races on Oʻahu, Maui, Kauaʻi and the Big Island, so check back for details.

Civil Beat reporter Caitlin Thompson contributed to this story.