Duke Aiona | |
|---|---|
 Aiona in 2009 | |
| 11thLieutenant Governor of Hawaii | |
| In office December 4, 2002 – December 6, 2010 | |
| Governor | Linda Lingle |
| Preceded by | Mazie Hirono |
| Succeeded by | Brian Schatz |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Richard Aiona Jr. (1955-06-08)June 8, 1955 (age 70) |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Vivian Welsh |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | University of the Pacific (BA) University of Hawaii, Manoa (JD) |
| Signature |  |
James Richard "Duke"Aiona Jr. (born June 8, 1955) is an American politician and jurist who served as the 11thlieutenant governor of Hawaii underLinda Lingle from 2002 to 2010. A member of theRepublican Party, he also served both as an attorney and a judge for the state prior to becoming lieutenant governor. Lingle and Aiona are the last Republicans to hold statewide office in Hawaii.
Aiona was the Republican nominee forGovernor of Hawaii in the2010 election, but was defeated byDemocratNeil Abercrombie in the general election. He was the Republican nominee once again in the2014 election, but lost to DemocratDavid Ige, since which he has done legal work and consulting. In June 2022, Aiona announced that he would run again for a third time in the Republican nomination for the2022 election, which he lost to DemocratJosh Green, the incumbent Hawaii Lieutenant Governor.[1]
James Aiona was born inPearl City, Hawaiʻi. He is ofHawaiian andPortuguese descent on his father's side andChinese on his mother's side. His mother worked as an elementary school teacher and his father worked as a life insurance agent. He attendedSaint Louis School, a local academy of theDiocese of Honolulu. Upon graduating high school, Aiona played basketball atUniversity of the Pacific inStockton, California and pursued a bachelor of arts degree in political science, which he received from there in 1977. Aiona returned to Hawaiʻi and graduated from theWilliam S. Richardson School of Law at theUniversity of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 1981.[2]
He began his legal career at theCity and County of Honolulu as a deputy prosecutor, and was appointed to the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary in 1990 as a Family Court judge. In 1996, while serving as Circuit Court judge, Aiona became the first administrative judge and primary architect of the Drug Court Program in Hawaiʻi. The program gives non-violent offenders a chance to stay out of prison through active and effective drug rehabilitation.
In 1977, while attending law school, he met Vivian Welsh at a dance in Waikīkī. They married in 1981. They have two sons, Kulia and Makana; and two daughters, Ohulani and Kaimilani.[2]As lieutenant governor, Aiona was paid $117,312per annum.[3]
Aiona and GovernorLinda Lingle became Hawaii's first Republican administration to win a second term, and they won with the largest margin of victory in any gubernatorial race in the history of the state.[4] Aiona ran to succeed Lingle as governor in 2010, but lost toNeil Abercrombie; he ran for governor again in 2014, losing to DemocratDavid Ige. In 2022, Aiona ran for governor a third time. He won the Republican nomination but was defeated in a landslide by the Democratic nominee, lieutenant governorJosh Green.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Linda Lingle/James Aiona | 194,338 | 51.6 | ||
| Democratic | Mazie Hirono/Matt Matsunaga | 177,186 | 47.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Linda Lingle/James Aiona (incumbent) | 215,313 | 62.5 | +10.9 | |
| Democratic | Randy Iwase/Malama Solomon | 121,717 | 35.4 | −11.6 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Neil Abercrombie /Brian Schatz | 222,724 | 57.8 | +22.4 | |
| Republican | James Aiona /Lynn Finnegan | 157,311 | 40.8 | −21.7 | |
| Turnout | 380,035 | 55.7 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | David Ige /Shan Tsutsui | 181,106 | 49.45 | −8.35 | |
| Republican | James Aiona /Elwin Ahu | 135,775 | 37.08 | −3.72 | |
| Independent | Mufi Hannemann /Les Chang | 42,934 | 11.72 | N/A | |
| Total votes | 366,210 | 100.00 | N/A | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Josh Green /Sylvia Luke | 259,901 | 63.2 | +0.54 | |
| Republican | James Aiona /Seaula Tupa'i Jr. | 151,258 | 36.8 | +3.09 | |
| Total votes | 411,159 | 100.00 | N/A | ||
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii 2002–2010 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Stan Koki | Republican nominee forLieutenant Governor of Hawaii 2002,2006 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Hawaii 2010,2014 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Hawaii 2022 | Most recent |
