BJ Penn’s political stance comes into clearer focus

The policies of first-time Republican gubernatorial candidate BJ Penn came into sharper focus Thursday night during his first face-to-face GOP debate, including his stances on a future presidential run for Donald Trump, his views on the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on abortion, and plans for the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope atop Mauna Kea.

Asked whether the 2020 presidential election was stolen, as Donald Trump and his supporters have claimed, Penn said, “That’s part of this trick of this whole thing is that it turns people against each other. It makes best friends fight about it. … I don’t have any proof about anything. … We should have an ID to vote. The person who votes should have an ID like anything else. Beyond that, I got no proof of anything.”

Penn has generally avoided interviews and debate appearances until his appearance Thursday night at the 21st convention for the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement at the Sheraton Waikiki, which was moderated by Hawaii News Now.

In all, 10 candidates are running to win the Aug. 13 Republican primary and move on to the Nov. 8 general election race for Hawaii’s next governor against the Democratic Party nominee.

But it’s the three Republican candidates with the highest name recognition who are perhaps the most diverse and offer distinct choices for party members.

Along with Penn they include:

>> James “Duke” Aiona, 67, a former deputy prosecutor, Family Circuit and Circuit Court judge and two- term lieutenant governor.

Aiona regularly cites his Christian faith as he makes his third run for the state’s highest office after winning back-to-back Republican primaries but losing consecutively to Neil Abercrombie and then to Gov. David Ige.

>> Heidi Tsuneyoshi, 47, who gave up likely reelection to her nonpartisan Council seat to instead run for governor. Her vast Council District 2 runs from Mililani Mauka to Mokuleia on one side of the North Shore to Kahaluu on the other.

Tsuneyoshi advocates a more traditional, fiscal-­conservative Republican message.

Penn, 43, a member of the Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Fame, has widespread name recognition along with a criminal record that includes assaults, drunken driving and a no-contest plea in 2005 to assaulting a police officer, for which he was sentenced to a year of probation, following a successful career in mixed martial arts.

Penn expressed these views Thursday:

>> COVID-19-related restrictions in schools, “Definitely no lockdowns. We have to leave the school and leave the sports open 100%, and I definitely want to focus on literacy for our kids and, you know, pushing them toward the future. And, yeah, I’m really excited about doing something for the children.”

>> Whether, as governor, he would fight a climate change lawsuit filed on behalf of children: “Yes, I would. We just don’t have the ability to move towards renewable energy right now. We’re not going to get there by 2045. And the technology’s not here, and it’s just not affordable for the people. So, you know, fossil fuel is what we have right now, and as time goes we will get more jobs and more people looking into renewable energy and looking into these things. But, as we sit here now, it’s just not affordable.”

Asked by fellow Republican candidate Tsuneyoshi about his experience to lead the state as its next governor, Penn did not make eye contact, but said:

“What I’ve always been great at is starting teams” at “championship levels.”

As governor, Penn vowed to make sure that state departments “all run properly and run for the people. … You can just drive down the road and you can see my businesses. Those are my teams.”

>> Asked his opinion about a possible Donald Trump presidential candidacy in 2024, Penn said:

“I’ll support either Donald Trump or (Florida Gov.) Ron DeSantis.”

>> Asked his thoughts on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning abortion rights, Penn said:

“I always welcome more power for the state, so thank you for that. Thank your for that.”

Penn also said he opposed construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope atop Mauna Kea, saying, “I am not for TMT. … I know we need jobs to keep our people here. … Just don’t start at the summit of Mauna Kea. … It’s just a sad, a sad, divisive situation … when we’re fighting against each other.”

All three Republican candidates were asked about Penn’s criminal history, and Penn said, “Sometimes I’ve been treated fairly. Sometimes I’ve been treated unfairly.”

His supporters, Penn said, “never gave up on me, and I’ll never give up on them.”