2018 Primary Election Candidates

Click to select a candidate

Name on ballot:

JOHANSON, Aaron Ling

Running for:

State House

District (if applicable):

Political party:

Democrat

Campaign website:

www.votejohanson.com

Current occupation:

State Representative, Small Business Owner

Age:

Previous job history:

State Representative, Hawaii State Legislature; Owner, Opportunity Enterprises LLC (College Admissions Consulting); Deputy Chief of Staff, U.S. Mint; Division Director, The White House; Development Associate, Yale Development Office

Previous elected office, if any:

Elected since 2010

What qualifies you to represent the people of Hawaii?

I am a son of our community, a Moanalua-Yale graduate, and current State Representative and small business owner with management experiences in the federal government, including as a Division Director in the The White House and Deputy Chief of Staff of the U.S. Mint. I have served as Chair of the Labor Committee and Majority Whip in the State House. I advocate for those in need, build consensus, and design common sense policies that achieve results for our community and our entire state.

What are the top three challenges facing the voters you seek to represent?

Cost of living; Caring for loved ones; Education

If elected, what will be your highest legislative priority?

If re-elected, I will continue to prioritize making Hawaii more affordable for working class people. In the past three years, I have authored and passed legislation that created the State’s Earned Income Tax Credit - providing some of the most meaningful tax relief to Hawaii’s working class people in decades, increased the dependent care tax credit to help offset the cost of caring for a loved one, and reinstated an incentive program to enable a path of opportunity and self-sufficiency to those who seek to exit from government assistance programs.

If elected, what can you do to improve the lives of your constituents?

If re-elected, I will continue to work to alleviate Hawaii’s high cost of living. In the past three years, I have achieved progress on this goal by authoring and successfully passing legislation that created the State’s Earned Income Tax Credit (estimated to provide $130 million in tax relief to Hawaii’s working class people), increased the dependent care tax credit to help offset the cost of caring for a loved one, and reinstated an incentive program to enable a path of opportunity and self-sufficiency to those who exit government assistance programs. I hope to continue this record of making Hawaii more affordable by creating Hawaii’s Paid Family Leave Program. These policies will make the most meaningful, positive impact for everyone.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?

My family’s story mirrors our district’s history. My grandfather was a Pearl Harbor ship fitter and my grandmother was the first generation to leave the Ewa plantations. They moved into Moanalua in 1959 to pursue a better life. I understand the people and the historical legacies that built my district.