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Nadine Nakamura

From Ballotpedia
Nadine Nakamura
Hawaii House of Representatives District 15
Tenure
2022 - Present
Term ends
2026
Years in position
3
Predecessor:James Tokioka (D)
Prior offices:
Hawaii House of Representatives District 14
Years in office: 2016 - 2022
Predecessor:Derek Kawakami (D)
Successor:Elle Cochran (D)
Compensation
Base salary
$74,160/year
Per diem
$225/day; only for legislators who do not reside on Oahu.
Elections and appointments
Last election
November 5, 2024
Education
Bachelor's
University of Southern California
Graduate
University of Hawaii, Manoa
Personal
Profession
Project planner
Contact

Nadine Nakamura (Democratic Party) is a member of theHawaii House of Representatives, representingDistrict 15. She assumed office on November 8, 2022. Her current term ends on November 3, 2026.

Nakamura becameSpeaker of theHawaii House of Representatives in 2025, the first woman to serve in this position.[1]

Nakamura was born inHonolulu, Hawaii.[2] She earned a bachelor's degree in Public Affairs and Urban Planning from the University of Southern California in 1983. She earned her master's in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa in 1987.[3] Before entering politics, she worked as a planner for various organizations, including the Hawaii Community Development Authority, the Honolulu Department of Transportation and the Pacific Housing Assistance Corporation.[3] She also founded NKN Project Planning, her business where she worked as a planning consultant.[3]

Nakamura ran for a seat on theKauai County Council in 2010. The top seven candidates were elected to the seat, and Nakamura placed second out of the top seven. In 2012, she was re-elected, placing first among the winning candidates.[2] During her tenure, she served as vice chair of the council and as chair of the body's Planning Committee.[4] She resigned in 2013 to become Managing Director for Kauai County under MayorBernard Carvalho (D) from 2013 to 2016.[5][6]

Nakamura was elected to theHawaii House of Representatives in2016. In 2021, she was chair of theHousing Committee. During the 2023-2024 session, Nakamura served asstate House majority leader.[7] During her tenure as majority leader, she proposed using $300 million of the state's budget surplus to construct more affordable rental homes.[8] $280 million was allocated towards rental housing in the budget passed by the legislature that year.[9] On November 7, 2024, Nakamura was named the next speaker of the Hawaii House.[6]

Hawaii Pacific University Prof. John Hart said that Nakamura was similar to her predecessorScott Saiki (D) and said, "She is going to be politically similar to her predecessor... I don’t think we’re going to see a change there."[10]Honolulu Civil Beat's Kevin Dayton wrote that Saiki was "generally regarded as a middle-of-the road Democrat."[10] Nakamura said she wanted to focus on housing in 2025: "I came to this position with a background in affordable housing, and I feel like there’s so much more we need to do."[10] In February 2025, she proposed a bill to establish a study group to transition thestate legislature to a full-time legislature.[11]

Biography

Nadina Nakamura lives in Kapa'a, Hawaii. Nakamura earned a bachelor's degree in public affairs and urban planning from the University of Southern California and a master's degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. Her career experience includes owning NKN Project Planning and working as the managing director of the County of Kaua'i and a project coordinator with Pacific Housing Assistance Corp. Nakamura served as the vice chair of the Hawai`i Tourism Authority and the State Housing Development Corporation of Hawai'i.[12][13][14]

Committee assignments

2023-2024

Nakamura was assigned to the following committees:

2021-2022

Nakamura was assigned to the following committees:

2019-2020

Nakamura was assigned to the following committees:

2017 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:

Hawaii committee assignments, 2017
•Finance
•Housing, Vice chair
•Transportation


Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according toBillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Elections

2024

See also: Hawaii House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Hawaii House of Representatives District 15

IncumbentNadine Nakamura defeatedDavid Moranz in the general election for Hawaii House of Representatives District 15 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Nadine Nakamura
Nadine Nakamura (D)
 
71.2
 
6,656
David Moranz (R)
 
28.8
 
2,692

Ballotpedia Logo

Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 9,348
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 15

IncumbentNadine Nakamura advanced from the Democratic primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 15 on August 10, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Nadine Nakamura
Nadine Nakamura
 
100.0
 
2,617

Ballotpedia Logo

Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 2,617
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 15

David Moranz advanced from the Republican primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 15 on August 10, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔David Moranz
 
100.0
 
444

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 444
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Nakamura in this election.

2022

See also: Hawaii House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Hawaii House of Representatives District 15

IncumbentNadine Nakamura defeatedGreg Bentley in the general election for Hawaii House of Representatives District 15 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Nadine Nakamura
Nadine Nakamura (D)
 
73.9
 
5,487
Greg Bentley (R)
 
26.1
 
1,937

Ballotpedia Logo

Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 7,424
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 15

IncumbentNadine Nakamura advanced from the Democratic primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 15 on August 13, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Nadine Nakamura
Nadine Nakamura
 
100.0
 
3,315

Ballotpedia Logo

Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 3,315
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 15

Greg Bentley advanced from the Republican primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 15 on August 13, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔Greg Bentley
 
100.0
 
748

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 748
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

2020

See also: Hawaii House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Hawaii House of Representatives District 14

IncumbentNadine Nakamura defeatedSteve Monas in the general election for Hawaii House of Representatives District 14 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Nadine Nakamura
Nadine Nakamura (D)
 
76.2
 
7,983
Image of Steve Monas
Steve Monas (R) Candidate Connection
 
23.8
 
2,490

Ballotpedia Logo

Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 10,473
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 14

IncumbentNadine Nakamura advanced from the Democratic primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 14 on August 8, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Nadine Nakamura
Nadine Nakamura
 
100.0
 
3,969

Ballotpedia Logo

Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 3,969
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 14

Steve Monas advanced from the Republican primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 14 on August 8, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Steve Monas
Steve Monas Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
461

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 461
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

2018

See also: Hawaii House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election

The general election was canceled. IncumbentNadine Nakamura won election in the general election for Hawaii House of Representatives District 14.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 14

IncumbentNadine Nakamura advanced from the Democratic primary for Hawaii House of Representatives District 14 on August 11, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Nadine Nakamura
Nadine Nakamura
 
100.0
 
3,715

Ballotpedia Logo

Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 3,715
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

2016

See also:Hawaii House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for theHawaii House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 13, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 7, 2016. IncumbentDerek Kawakami (D) did not seek re-election.

Nadine Nakamura defeatedSandra Combs in the Hawaii House of Representatives District 14 general election.[15]

Hawaii House of Representatives, District 14 General Election, 2016
PartyCandidateVote %Votes
    DemocraticGreen check mark transparent.pngNadine Nakamura72.47%6,057
    RepublicanSandra Combs27.53%2,301
Total Votes8,358
Source:State of Hawaii - Office of Elections


Nadine Nakamura defeatedFern Anuenue Rosenstiel in the Hawaii House of Representatives District 14 Democratic primary.[16][17]

Hawaii House of Representatives, District 14 Democratic Primary, 2016
PartyCandidateVote %Votes
    DemocraticGreen check mark transparent.pngNadine Nakamura64.27%2,445
    DemocraticFern Anuenue Rosenstiel35.73%1,359
Total Votes3,804


Sandra Combs ran unopposed in the Hawaii House of Representatives District 14 Republican primary.[16][17]

Hawaii House of Representatives, District 14 Republican Primary, 2016
PartyCandidate
    RepublicanGreen check mark transparent.pngSandra Combs (unopposed)

Endorsements

In 2016, Nakamura's endorsements included the following:[18]

  • Hawaii State AFL-CIO
  • United Brotherhood of Carpenters
  • ILWU

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also:Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Nadine Nakamura did not completeBallotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Nadine Nakamura did not completeBallotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Nadine Nakamura did not completeBallotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2016

Nakamura's campaign website highlighted the following issues:

“

Traffic Congestion:

  • While these road improvements are critical to relieve traffic congestion, it is also important to work on reducing the number of vehicles on the road by improving the routes and frequency of our bus system and adding convenient shuttles that can help reduce the number of rental cars driven by visitors.
  • I would also like the State and County to work together to build the Kuamo`o-Ma`alo connector road as a resiliency project to ensure that east and north shore communities have continuous access to medical, transportation and other facilities in the event of tsunami damage to our shoreline highway and bridges.

Education:

  • Here are some key principles I support.
  • Provide the best training possible for our school principals so they can best lead and manage their school community.
  • Provide the tools--funding, facilities, and training—for teachers to do their work as the professionals that they are. Hold teachers accountable, but do not micromanage them.
  • Support pre-school education.
  • Keep Kaua`i Community College and University of Hawaii tuition affordable for local residents.
  • Support scholarships, outreach, and training for local students to enter the teaching profession so they can teach in the communities in which they live.

Renewable Energy:

  • I’m a proud member of the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) and commend the staff and Board of Directors for the progress they’ve made toward meeting the goal of generating 50% renewable energy by 2023. Currently, 40% of the energy generated on Kaua`i is from solar, hydropower, and biomass. In January 2016, renewable energy resources met an average of 89% of daytime demand.
  • I support measures that will help us reduce the use of fossil fuels and help mitigate the impacts of climate change on our community. I strongly support innovative technologies, including energy storage solutions, which can help us advance our clean energy goals cost-effectively and equitably. These efforts make our community more resilient, keep dollars in the local economy, and provide employment on our island.

Affordable Housing:

  • I support the following actions:
  • Federal and State Low-Income housing tax credits to help reduce construction costs.
  • Rental Housing Revolving funds to cover predevelopment costs.
  • Dwelling Unit Revolving Funds to cover infrastructure costs.
  • Programs, like Kaua`i Habitat for Humanity, that create opportunities for families to build single-family homes using their sweat equity.
  • Coordination of services, including mental health and substance abuse services, to address homelessness.

Economy:

  • ​To strengthen Kauai’s economy and provide economic opportunities for all, we need to diversify the economy and improve our economic self-sufficiency by promoting import substitution. We need to support our visitor industry, but we must also understand our capacity limitations. Investing in infrastructure improvements, protecting our natural resources, and honoring our host culture enhances our quality of life and visitor experience.[19]
”
—Nadine Nakamura,[20]

Campaign finance summary

Ballotpedia LogoNote: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf.Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at theFEC website. Clickhere for more on federal campaign finance law andhere for more on state campaign finance law.

Nadine Nakamura campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024Hawaii House of Representatives District 15Won general$82,410 $50,849
2022Hawaii House of Representatives District 15Won general$40,805 $30,059
2020Hawaii House of Representatives District 14Won general$35,960 N/A**
2018Hawaii House of Representatives District 14Won general$41,282 N/A**
2016Hawaii House of Representatives, District 14Won$55,143 N/A**
Grand total$255,600 $80,908
Sources:OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also:State legislative scorecards andState legislative scorecards in Hawaii

Ascorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of Hawaii scorecards, email suggestions toeditor@ballotpedia.org.


2024

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show].   

In 2024, theHawaii State Legislature was in session from January 17 to May 3.


2023

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show].   

In 2023, theHawaii State Legislature was in session from January 18 to May 4.


2022

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show].   

In 2022, theHawaii State Legislature was in session from January 19 to May 5.


2021

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show].   

In 2021, theHawaii State Legislature was in session from January 20 to April 29.

Legislators are scored on their votes on issues related to Hawaiian interests.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.


2020

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show].   

In 2020, theHawaii State Legislature was in session from January 15 to July 10.

Legislators are scored on their votes on issues related to Hawaiian interests.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.


2019

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show].   

In 2019, theHawaii State Legislature was in session from January 16 through May 2.

Legislators are scored on their votes on issues related to Hawaiian interests.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.


2018

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show].   

In 2018, theHawaii State Legislature was in session from January 17 through May 3.

Legislators are scored on their votes on issues related to Hawaiian interests.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.


2017

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show].   

In 2017, theHawaii State Legislature was in session from January 18 through May 4. The Legislature held a special session from July 12 from July 20. The legislature held its first special session from August 28 to September 1. The legislature held its second special session from September 25 to September 26. The legislature held its third special session on November 14.

Legislators are scored on their votes on issues related to Hawaiian interests.
Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.


2016

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show].   

In 2016, theHawaii State Legislature was in session from January 20 through May 5. The Legislature held a special session from July 12 from July 20.

Legislators' votes on bills related to social issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.



See also


External links

Candidate

Hawaii House of Representatives District 15

  • Website
  • Facebook

    • Officeholder

    Hawaii House of Representatives District 15

  • Website
  • Facebook

    • Personal

  • Website
  • Facebook

    • Footnotes

    1. ↑USA Today, "Who is Nadine Nakamura? Hawaii Rep. to be the first woman speaker of the state house," November 15, 2024
    2. ↑2.02.1Honolulu Star-Advertiser, "District 14 – Nadine K. Nakamura (D)," July 9, 2016
    3. ↑3.03.13.2Nadine Nakamura personal website, "Who is She," accessed April 16, 2025
    4. ↑Nadine Nakamura, "About," accessed April 18, 2025
    5. ↑Hawaii News Now, "Kauai Council to vote on vetoed GMO disclosure bill," November 8, 2013
    6. ↑6.06.1Kauai Now News, "Kauaʻiʻs Nadine Nakamura becomes first woman Speaker of the House of Representatives," November 7, 2024
    7. ↑Maui Now, "House Majority top priorities for 2023 legislative session include affordable housing," January 14, 2023
    8. ↑Honolulu Civil Beat, "Hawaii Legislature Opens With Show Of Goodwill By Green, Lawmakers," January 18, 2023
    9. ↑Hawaii Public Radio, "State Legislature adjourns with criticism to budget process," May 5, 2023
    10. ↑10.010.110.2Honolulu Civil Beat, "Legislators To Name 1st Female House Speaker In Hawaii History," November 6, 2024
    11. ↑Hawaii State Legislature, "HB1425 HD1," accessed April 18, 2021
    12. ↑Nadine Nakamura, "About," accessed December 20, 2022
    13. ↑Facebook, "Nadine Nakamura," accessed December 20, 2022
    14. ↑Hawai'i State Legislature, "Representative Nadine K. Nakamura (D)," accessed December 20, 2022
    15. ↑State of Hawaii, "General Election 2016 - State of Hawaii – Statewide November 8, 2016," accessed November 23, 2016
    16. ↑16.016.1State of Hawaii, "2016 Candidate Report," accessed June 10, 2016
    17. ↑17.017.1Hawaii.gov, "Primary Election results," accessed September 12, 2016
    18. ↑Nadine Nakamura, "Endorsements," accessed July 13, 2016
    19. ↑Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    20. ↑Nadine Nakamura, "Issues," accessed July 13, 2016

    Political offices
    Preceded by
    James Tokioka (D)    		Hawaii House of Representatives District 15
    2022-Present    		Succeeded by
    -
    Preceded by
    Derek Kawakami (D)    		Hawaii House of Representatives District 14
    2016-2022    		Succeeded by
    Elle Cochran (D)


    Current members of theHawaii House of Representatives
    Leadership
    Speaker of the House:Nadine Nakamura
    Majority Leader:Sean Quinlan
    Minority Leader:Lauren Matsumoto
    Representatives
    District 1
    District 2
    District 3
    District 4
    District 5
    District 6
    District 7
    District 8
    District 9
    District 10
    District 11
    District 12
    District 13
    District 14
    District 15
    District 16
    District 17
    District 18
    District 19
    District 21
    District 22
    District 23
    District 24
    District 25
    District 26
    District 27
    District 28
    District 29
    District 30
    District 31
    District 32
    District 33
    District 34
    District 35
    District 36
    District 37
    District 38
    District 39
    District 40
    District 41
    District 42
    District 43
    District 44
    District 45
    District 46
    District 47
    District 48
    District 49
    District 50
    District 51
    Democratic Party (42)
    Republican Party (9)


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