U.S. House, Hawaii 2nd Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District?
Jill Tokuda has the strongest record in Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District. Jill Tokuda scores 75 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Brenton Awa at 58, as of October 6, 2026. Jill Tokuda's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Brenton Awa's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican
Brenton Awa
58 / 100
Public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 25
- Qualifications
- 80
- Performance
- 38
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Jill Tokuda
On the ballot as Jill N. Tokuda
75 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 60
- Qualifications
- 85
- Performance
- 81
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Brenton Awa
- Mark against2025-12-04
The Hawaii State Ethics Commission found he violated the Fair Treatment law by filming a campaign video for his former office manager in his Capitol office on state time, and upheld a $999.99 fine.
Sources: Hawaii State Ethics Commission, Decision and Order (DEC2025-1), Hawaii News Now, Dec. 6, 2025, The Garden Island (Star-Advertiser), Dec. 12, 2025
- On the record2026-09
Has pledged to serve one term in Congress if elected.
- On the record2024-11
Became Hawaii Senate minority leader after the 2024 election.
Source: Wikipedia, Brenton Awa
Jill Tokuda
- On the record2026-10-05
Declined a televised general election debate with Republican nominee Brenton Awa; Hawaii News Now interviewed the two separately.
Source: Hawaii News Now, Oct. 5, 2026
- On the record2025-06
Voted against Democratic Leader Jeffries and most House Democrats on a motion to table a resolution to impeach President Trump.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 175, 2025
- Credit2026
Held in-person town hall meetings across Oahu, Hawaii Island, Maui, Kauai, Molokai and Lanai in 2025 and 2026.
Source: Office site, Town Halls
- Credit2024-12-23
Sponsored the Lahaina National Heritage Area Study Act, H.R. 8219, which was signed into law Dec. 23, 2024 with five Democratic and two Republican cosponsors.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Brenton Awa. The Hawaii State Ethics Commission ruled in December 2025 that he violated the state Fair Treatment law by using his Capitol office, staff and state time for a campaign video, and fined him $999.99.
Sources: Hawaii State Ethics Commission, Decision and Order (DEC2025-1), Hawaii News Now, Dec. 6, 2025
Jill Tokuda. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 is on file with the House Clerk, filed Aug. 13, 2026 after an extension. No periodic transaction reports, House Ethics matter or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10076318, House Committee on Ethics site search, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Brenton Awa. No public record found.
Jill Tokuda. Voted against Democratic Leader Jeffries and most Democrats in 2025 against tabling an impeachment resolution, and in 2026 for a war powers resolution and on a child tax bill concurrence.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 175, 2025, motion to table impeachment resolution, House Clerk Roll Call 201, 2026, war powers resolution, House Clerk Roll Call 308, 2026
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Brenton Awa. No public record found.
Jill Tokuda. Held in-person town halls across the district in 2025 and 2026, from Wahiawa and Kaneohe to Lahaina, Molokai and Lanai, plus telephone town halls. Declined a televised general election debate with Awa in October 2026.
Sources: Office site, Town Halls, Hawaii News Now, Oct. 5, 2026
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Brenton Awa. No public record found.
Jill Tokuda. Served 12 years in the Hawaii Senate (2006 to 2018), chairing Ways and Means, and in the U.S. House since 2023. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee finding found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Jill Tokuda, House Committee on Ethics site search
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Brenton Awa. Has held sworn state office since 2022. The state Ethics Commission found he used state resources (office, staff and state time) for a political campaign, an official finding of misuse of office.
Sources: Hawaii State Ethics Commission, Decision and Order (DEC2025-1), The Garden Island (Star-Advertiser), Dec. 12, 2025
Jill Tokuda. Has held sworn state and federal office since 2006; took her House seat in January 2023, after the January 2021 electoral count. No official finding of misuse of office found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Brenton Awa. Elected to the Hawaii Senate in 2022 and re-elected in 2024; Senate minority leader since 2024. Earlier a television news anchor.
Sources: Wikipedia, Brenton Awa, Honolulu Civil Beat, Candidate Q&A
Jill Tokuda. In the U.S. House since January 2023, seeking a third term, after 12 years in the Hawaii Senate.
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Brenton Awa. Senate minority leader (an elected chamber leadership post, E5) and publishes specific federal proposals, such as charging stationed military personnel the standard vehicle registration fee.
Sources: Wikipedia, Brenton Awa, Campaign site, Issues
Jill Tokuda. Ranking member of the Agriculture subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology and member of Armed Services. Chaired the Hawaii Senate Ways and Means Committee.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, Office site, biography
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Brenton Awa. Answered Civil Beat's 2026 survey and publishes an issues page. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Honolulu Civil Beat, Candidate Q&A, Campaign site, Issues, Ballotpedia, Brenton Awa
Jill Tokuda. Answered Civil Beat's 2026 survey, offers a newsletter and holds in-person and telephone town halls. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Honolulu Civil Beat, Candidate Q&A, Office site, home page, Ballotpedia, Jill Tokuda
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Brenton Awa. Born in Kaaawa and raised in Kahaluu on Oahu, inside the district, which he has represented in the state Senate since 2022. FEC by-state totals show about 92 percent of itemized individual contributions from Hawaii.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Brenton Awa, Honolulu Civil Beat, Candidate Q&A, FEC contribution totals by state
Jill Tokuda. Says her family has lived in the district for four generations; represented Kaneohe and Kailua in the state Senate for 12 years. FEC by-state totals show about 69 percent of itemized individual contributions from Hawaii.
Sources: Office site, biography, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Brenton Awa. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through July 19, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Jill Tokuda. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through July 19, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Brenton Awa. Center for Effective Lawmaking rates his 2023 to 2024 state Senate term as meeting expectations for a minority member, with 33 bills sponsored and none enacted.
Source: Center for Effective Lawmaking, State Legislative Effectiveness Scores data file
Jill Tokuda. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 1.514 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 0.522, exceeds expectations. Her Lahaina National Heritage Area Study Act became law in December 2024.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, H.R. 8219 (118th Congress)
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Brenton Awa. Ranked eighth among Hawaii legislators with 180 missed votes in the 2025 session, mostly from skipping the conference committee period, per Civil Beat's Digital Democracy count.
Jill Tokuda. Missed 13 of 1,917 roll call votes, 0.7 percent, from January 2023 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Brenton Awa. No public record found.
Jill Tokuda. Runs a Honolulu district office and holds recurring in-person town halls on Oahu, Hawaii Island, Maui, Kauai, Molokai and Lanai. No published casework totals found.
Sources: Office site, Office Locations, Office site, Town Halls
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Brenton Awa. No public record found.
Jill Tokuda. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.27402 in the 2023 House scores (118th Congress, first session), ranked 183 of 436.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Brenton Awa. No public record found.
Jill Tokuda. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 6, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District?
Jill Tokuda has the strongest record in Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District. Jill Tokuda scores 75 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Brenton Awa at 58, as of October 6, 2026. Jill Tokuda's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Brenton Awa's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District in 2026?
Brenton Awa (Republican), Jill Tokuda (Democratic, incumbent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Brenton Awa a good candidate for Congress?
Brenton Awa scores 58 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria: character 25 of 100, qualifications 80 of 100, performance 38 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Jill Tokuda a good candidate for Congress?
Jill Tokuda scores 75 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 60 of 100, qualifications 85 of 100, performance 81 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Hawaii race scored, and the Hawaii 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.