Brenton Awa Concedes in Hawaii Congressional District 2 Race

Nov 04, 2026

State Senator Brenton Awa has conceded Hawaii's Congressional District 2 race to incumbent Jill Tokuda, who won by a wide margin.

  • Tokuda defeated Awa by a large margin, roughly 71% to 29%.
  • Awa said he's actually relieved to lose, since he didn't want to move to Washington and can instead stay focused on his district and family.
  • He blamed the loss on party loyalty, arguing Hawaii voters stick with their party no matter who the candidate is, regardless of a clean campaign that took no outside money.
  • Awa plans to leave the Republican Party and become an independent, and is considering a run for mayor instead.

Outlook: Awa says this is likely his last run for Congress, with a possible mayoral bid next on the horizon.

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