Rep. Bob McDermott, a Marine officer who served in the Gulf War, will not seek reelection to his District 40 seat (Ewa, Ewa Beach, Ewa By Gentry, Iroquois Point) this year.

But his 30-year-old daughter-in-law has filed to run for the seat, also as a Republican.

Kayla Ramos McDermott
Kayla Ramos McDermott. 

“I want to run as a way to give back to my community, because I lived and grew up in Ewa,” said Kayla Ramos McDermott. “I have a special place in may heart for the district, so to have an opportunity to serve the community as a whole is a great blessing for me. If God is giving me the opportunity, why not take it?”

Ramos McDermott is married to Rep. McDermott’s son, Patrick, who is in the Navy. They share a household.

McDermott is in his seventh and final term in the House and is one of only a handful of GOP members in the Legislature.

He said he would announce his future plans later this month.

All 76 seats at the Hawaii Legislature are up this year due to reapportionment.

What it means to support Civil Beat.

Supporting Civil Beat means you’re investing in a newsroom that can devote months to investigate corruption. It means we can cover vulnerable, overlooked communities because those stories matter. And, it means we serve you. And only you.

Donate today and help sustain the kind of journalism Hawaiʻi cannot afford to lose.

About the Author