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KAUAI MAYOR

About the 2026 Kauaʻi Mayoral Race — Open Seat

The 2026 Kauaʻi mayoral race is an open seat: incumbent Mayor Derek Kawakami is term-limited after serving two full terms (2018–2026) and cannot seek re-election. That makes this the first truly open mayoral contest on Kauaʻi in eight years, with no incumbent advantage on the ballot. As of the May 2026 official snapshot, these candidates filed for the race: Mel Rapozo, Bernard Carvalho Jr., Felicia Cowden, Megeso-William Denis, Laura Andaya-Lindsey, and Michaela B. Widener. Housing affordability is a prominent issue across the race — Kauaʻi median home prices have surpassed $900,000. Short-term rental (STR) enforcement, county permitting reform, tourism management, and infrastructure investment are among the policy areas candidates have addressed in filing and campaign coverage. Voters should consult candidate websites, KKCR Elections forum recordings, and local news for verifiable stances from each candidate.

Open seat — no incumbent running.

Primary date: 2026-08-08

CARVALHO, Bernard, Jr.

Party: Nonpartisan · Backing: Establishment

Platform: Longest-serving Kauaʻi mayor in history (2008–2018); current council member running to return to the mayor's office.

  • The longest-serving mayor in Kauaʻi history — finished the late Mayor Bryan Baptiste's unexpired term beginning in 2008, then won two full terms before terming out in December 2018. A former professional football player with the Miami Dolphins before his career in public service.
  • Served as founding director of the Kauaʻi Department of Parks and Recreation (first appointed 2007), building a 10-year record of county parks, recreation programming, and community infrastructure investment before becoming mayor.
  • Currently serves on the Kauaʻi County Council (elected 2020), following an unsuccessful 2018 bid for Lieutenant Governor; returning to the mayor's race with a continuity-of-services platform.
  • Campaigns on sustaining and completing the capital improvement projects begun under the Kawakami administration, emphasizing steady management, reliable county services, and housing programs already underway.
  • Emphasizes his deep institutional knowledge of county operations and his track record of managing county finances, infrastructure, and community programs through multiple economic cycles.

Editorial summary: Bernard Carvalho Jr. is the longest-serving mayor in Kauaʻi history and a current council member. His platform — documented in Hawaiʻi News Now and Civil Beat coverage — centers on continuity of the current administration's capital projects, housing programs, and county services rather than a sharp policy break.

Key issues: County capital projects, Parks & recreation, Housing continuity, County services, Infrastructure

Website: https://www.carvalhoformayor.com/

Profile last reviewed: 2026-06-03

Other candidates in this race