Heidi Haunani Tsuneyoshi running for governor as Republican

First-term Honolulu Councilwoman Heidi Haunani Tsuneyoshi — a frequent critic of the city’s troubled rail project who represents parts of Central Oahu, the North Shore and the Windward side — announced Tuesday that she is running for governor as a Republican.

Tsuneyoshi said that she wants to be the “servant leader that is needed today.”

Before being elected to a four-year Council term in 2018, Tsuneyoshi worked in homeless shelters, women’s jails and with high-risk youth as a behavioral specialist with the state Department of Education.

She has a psychology degree from the University of Hawaii and a master’s degree in counseling from Chaminade University.

“I see the struggle of our people,” Tsuneyoshi said at a news conference outside the state Capitol.

Tsuneyoshi said that if she wins the Republican Party primary election Aug. 13 and the Nov. 8 general election, she would focus on getting more beneficiaries onto Hawaiian home lands, transparency in government and fiscal responsibility.

Tsuneyoshi said she decided to run after asking herself, “Where is the next place I’m really called to serve? … It is a big jump, but I do believe that all the experience leads me to that place.”

Her Republican opponents in the Republican primary are Army veteran Lynn “Barry” Mariano and Kona business consultant Paul Morgan.