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Aloha ʻĀina Party

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Aloha ʻĀina Party
Hawaiian: ʻAoʻao Aloha ʻĀina
ChairpersonJoyclynn Costa
FoundedJune 1, 2015; 9 years ago (2015-06-01)
HeadquartersHonolulu
IdeologyAloha ʻĀina
Hawaiian sovereignty
ColorsRed and yellow
Seats in the Upper House
0 / 25
Seats in the Lower House
0 / 51
Website
www.votealoha.org

The Aloha ʻĀina Party (Hawaiian for "love of the land") is a political party in the US state of Hawaiʻi that advocates for the Hawaiian sovereignty movement and the promotion of Native Hawaiian culture.[1][2]

History

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The Aloha ʻĀina Party was convened in 2015 by founding members Donald Kaulia, Pua Ishibashi, and Desmon Haumea as a political action group.[3][4] After two failed attempts at getting ballot access in 2016 and 2018, the party collected enough signatures to be certified as a political party for the 2020 election.[5][6]

In 2020, the party fielded candidates in fifteen state legislative races on a platform to bring kanaka maoli (Native Hawaiian) values into governance.[7] According to the Aloha ʻĀina Party Founders, the party was founded because of frustration with the state's handling of issues concerning both Kanaka Maoli as well as the citizens of Hawaiʻi at large, and the limited natural resources in Hawaiʻi including the Thirty Meter Telescope project on Mauna Kea.[8][9] None of the candidates fielded by the party during the 2020 election won their races, with the two highest-performing candidates, state Senate candidate Ron Ka-Ipo and House of Representatives candidate Howard Greenberg, receiving about 20% of the vote. Other candidates averaged about 12–16% of the vote within their respective districts.[10]

In 2022, the party nominated several candidates for local office, including one for state Senate and three for state Representative. They also nominated their first statewide candidate, Dan Decker, for the 2022 United States Senate election in Hawaii.[11]

In 2023, the party was notified by the Hawaiian Office of Elections that it failed to meet the minimum vote threshold[12] to remain a qualified party.[13]

In August of 2024, the party did not appear on the Primary Election ballot.[14][15]

Ideology

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According to its website, the Aloha ʻĀina party advocates for a sovereign Hawaiʻi through the framework of hoʻoponopono ("making right what is wrong"), believing the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom to have been an unjust act. It also promotes other Hawaiian values such as Mālama ʻĀina ("taking care of the land") and Aloha Kānaka ("love and care for the people").[2]

While the party brands itself largely on Native Hawaiian issues, co-founder Pua Ishibashi has stated that "the AAP is not only for Hawaiians and is not limited to Hawaiian issues. The AAP is inclusive, welcomes all, and address the needs and concerns of all the people of Hawaiʻi".[1]

Executive committee

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Name Position
Joyclynn Costa Chair
Vice Chair
J Kahala Chrupalyk Secretary
J Kahala Chrupalyk Treasurer
Puanani Rogers Director
Duke London Kaulia Director

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b staradvertiser (July 17, 2020). "2020 Election: Pua Ishibashi". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Where We Stand". www.votealoha.org. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  3. ^ "Timeline - Relevant dates in the establishment of the Aloha ʻĀina Party". Aloha Aina Party. January 1, 2020.
  4. ^ "Introducing The Aloha Aina Party". Honolulu Civil Beat. March 20, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  5. ^ Callis, Tom (March 1, 2016). "Aloha Aina Party attempt fails". West Hawaii Today. Hawaii Tribune-Herald. Archived from the original on December 20, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  6. ^ "Three New Parties Have Enough Valid Signatures in Hawaii | Ballot Access News". March 4, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  7. ^ Lovell, Blaze (June 2, 2020). "New Party Hopes To Give Hawaii Legislative Incumbents A Run For Their Money". Honolulu Civil Beat. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  8. ^ Brestovansky, Michael (March 14, 2020). "Creation of Aloha Aina Party announced". Hawaii Tribune-Herald. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  9. ^ Tam, Nicole (October 26, 2019). "Could Hawaii see another political party? Aloha Aina hopes to join the mix". KITV4 Island News. Archived from the original on October 29, 2019. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  10. ^ Dayton, Kevin (November 3, 2020). "Hawaii Legislature: GOP Loses A House Seat, Stays Even In The Senate". Honolulu Civil Beat.
  11. ^ "PRIMARY ELECTION 2022 - State of Hawaii - Statewide August 13, 2022 SUMMARY REPORT" (PDF). State of Hawaii Office of Elections. August 13, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  12. ^ "2023 Hawaii Revised Statutes :: Title 2. Elections :: 11. Elections, Generally :: 11-61 "Political party" defined". Justia Law. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  13. ^ "Notice of Intention to Disqualify Political Parties" (PDF). Office of Elections. February 15, 2023.
  14. ^ "Political Parties". elections.hawaii.gov. April 23, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  15. ^ State of Hawaii Office of Elections (April 23, 2024). 2024 Political Party Drawing. Retrieved August 24, 2024 – via YouTube.
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