Josh Green (politician)

Hawaii House of Representatives

Green was elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives in 2004. He represented the 6th district, based in a rural area of the western portion of the Big Island. Green served two terms before being elected to the Hawaii Senate in 2008.

Hawaii Senate

Green was first elected to the Hawaii Senate in 2008. He represented the 3rd district, which encompassed the southwestern portion of the Big Island. He was reelected in 2012 and 2014. As a state senator, Green served as majority leader and chaired the Committee on Health and Human Services.

In 2013, Green was honored as "Hawaii Legislator of the Year".^[9] He championed the initiative to create an insurance mandate for children with autism via legislation known as Luke's Law. The legislation went into effect on January 1, 2016.

In 2018, Green fought to establish a legal safeguard so that parents with disabilities would no longer have their children taken away from them because of their disabilities. He also led the charge to raise the legal age to obtain tobacco products and electronic cigarettes from 18 to 21, making Hawaii the first U.S. state to do so.

Green opted not to run for reelection to the Senate in 2018. He was succeeded by Dru Kanuha, who now serves as majority leader.

Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii

In 2018, Green won the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor of Hawaii and was the running mate of incumbent Democratic Governor David Ige, who was running for a second term. In Hawaii, gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial candidates run in separate primaries but on the same ticket in the general election. Ige and Green won the general election on November 6, 2018.^[10]

Ige tasked Green with addressing Hawaii's chronic homelessness crisis and called on him to use his background as a physician to address how mental illness and addiction affect Hawaii's homeless population.^[11]

In 2019, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic, Green led a team of over 75 doctors, nurses and other Hawaii health care workers on an emergency medical mission to Samoa. They aided in vaccination efforts against a measles epidemic across the region.^[12]

On March 3, 2020, Ige appointed Green as the administration's liaison between the state and healthcare community as it pertains to COVID-19 preparedness and response.^[13]

A poll conducted in April 2021 by Hawaii News Now found that Green had a 63% approval rating, with only 17% of voters disapproving of his work as lieutenant governor, while Ige held an approval rating of 22%.^[14] It is speculated that Green's visibility throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and background as an emergency room doctor contributed to the difference.^[15]

2022 gubernatorial campaign

In August 2019, Green announced he was considering a run for governor of Hawaii in the 2022 election.^[16] He launched his campaign on February 10, 2022.^[17]

Green won the Democratic primary on August 13, 2022; his running mate was Democratic state representative Sylvia Luke. On November 8, 2022, Green won the general election, defeating Republican nominee and former Hawaii Lieutenant Governor Duke Aiona in the general election.^[18] He became the first governor born after Hawaii became a state in 1959.

Tenure

Green was inaugurated as the ninth Governor of Hawaii on December 5, 2022, succeeding David Ige. In his inaugural address, Green emphasized unity and addressed Hawaii's rising cost of living, pledging to combat it through affordable housing initiatives and tax reforms. He said, "When we come together, we can meet any challenge, and accomplish anything we set our minds to", highlighting values of ‘ohana and aloha.^[19][20][21]

2018

2022