Kaiali'i Kahele (born 28 March 1974) was a member of the US House of Representatives (D-HI 2) from 3 January 2021 to 3 January 2023, succeeding Tulsi Gabbard and preceding Jill Tokuda.
Biography[]
Kaiali'i Kahele was born in Miloli'i, Hawaii in 1974, the son of Democratic politician Gil Kahele. Kahele served in the US Air Force during the Iraq War and Afghanistan War before rising to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. He went on to become a Hawaiian Airlines pilot, only to be elected to succeed his late father in the State Senate in 2016. In 2020, he was elected to succeed the retiring incumbent Tulsi Incumbent in the US House of Representatives, becoming the second Native Hawaiian congressperson. He retired in 2022 in order to run for Governor of Hawaii.