Kahele becomes second Native Hawaiian sworn into U.S. congress

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    Hawaii (KITV ) — U.S. Congressman Kaiali?i Kahele (HI-02) was sworn in Sunday as a Member of the 117th Congress to become Hawai’i’s newest elected official in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Congressman Kahele is Hawai’i’s first member of Congress from the Island of Hawai’i. The Congressman’s flagship district office will be located in his hometown of Hilo. This is the first time that a Congressional Flagship District Office will be based on a neighbor island.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to have the privilege to represent Hawai’i’s Second Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. I am grateful to the people of Hawai’i for trusting me to be your voice in Washington. It has been a long road to get here, and many of you have been with us from the beginning. Thank you for standing by me and going the distance. For those of you whom I don’t know yet, I hope to gain your trust and confidence. As your representative, I will work across the aisle when possible, and I will fight for our kupuna and our keiki to ensure a better Hawai’i for all. “

Kahele is the second Native Hawaiian since statehood to be elected to Congress; the first was the late U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Akaka.

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