Dan Johnson

Dan Johnson was born in Wailuku, Hawaii. He earned an associate degree from the University of Hawaii, Maui, in 2011 and a bachelor's degree from the University of Hawaii, Manoa, in 2014. His career experience includes working as a project manager.[1][2][3]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Dan, and I’m running for office because I love Maui and everything about this island that sets it apart from the rest of the world (including the rest of Hawaii). I’m a husband, a father of two young children, and was born and raised on Maui with four generations of family here. After graduating from UH Manoa with a degree in Finance, I’ve navigated a successful career in project management over the past decade. Through my experience, I have come to understand many of the core reasons for our state’s exceptionally high cost of living. It saddens me when local families can no longer afford to live here and are forced to leave. My heart's desire is to prioritize reducing the cost of living through state tax adjustments, incentivizing local homeownership, while preserving our values, liberties, natural resources, and the resources of our community.

I humbly ask for your vote to serve as your representative.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

We need to work hard to fix the housing market in Hawaii and tip the scale in the favor of local residents. As a construction project manager, I know what makes building efficient and what makes it expensive. We need major structural changes including reducing the bureaucracy and unnecessary regulations that slow down the permitting process. We need to reduce property taxes for owner occupants while discouraging corporate acquisition of residential property to ensure single-family properties are owned by Hawaii residents, and not as investments.Hawaii's K-12 school system was rated 42nd in 2025. We need to give parents control of educational decisions, including the choice of public, private, charter, or homeschooling. I will advocate for the implementation of a voucher system, in which the funding follows the student. If a parent decides to send their child to a school other than the DOE public school, they would receive a tax credit or voucher to place their child in a school of their choice. In states that have implemented a voucher system, such as Florida, studies have shown that both private schools and public schools have improved in quality and individual students test scores.Upcountry Maui has had a water supply problem for too many years. The state watersheds are currently managed by others, but there need to be rules in place to prevent any potential conflict of interest. However, the infrastructure is the responsibility of the state. Water shortages and 20 year waiting lists for water service need to end. I will allocate state funding to increase water storage systems to increase the supply from the rainy seasons to cover for the droughts and aim to provide sustainable water for the people.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Our state has the most executive power of any other state in the nation. We need to provide more checks and balances in our government to ensure transparency and accountability. I will support legislation to allow all Hawaii voters to select their Sheriffs, Attorney General, and School Boards. These positions are inherently compromised if they are being appointed by the Governor, and not the people to whom they should be accountable.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Dan Johnson, and I’m running for state representative because I love Maui. I was born and raised here, my friends and family are here, and there is no other place in the world that I have called home. I’m a father of two young children, married to my high school sweetheart. I have worked in the construction industry as a carpenter and then as a project manager after graduating with a degree from UH Manoa.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I want to prioritize reducing the cost of living through state tax adjustments, supporting local small businesses, and incentivizing homeownership.Upcountry Maui has most of our agricultural land, but our state has failed in stewarding our water resources for our residents. I will push to fund infrastructural improvements to our water supply and distribution systems, and propose reforms for them to be managed fairly.I want to help Maui recover from the August 2023 fires and restore the homes and businesses lost in Kula and Lahaina. We need to enable our community to rebuild affordably, and encourage any new housing to be occupied by Hawaii residents first.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Cost of living, food security, civil liberties, agriculture, education, sustainability, and water rights.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

The best example to follow is the only man who ever lived a perfect life as an example for how to love, and know God, Jesus.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Our elected officials should have integrity, honesty, compassion, courage, humility, trustworthiness, and resolve. As in any leadership role, a truly effective leader is a servant leader who puts the goals and needs of the many before his own, and keeps his eyes set on the objectives, enabling others to succeed in their own roles to accomplish the big picture.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I’m gifted with intelligence, extreme commitment, and natural leadership skills that also come with a sense of responsibility to protect others.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

A good representative listens to the concerns of his community, and works to develop solutions. A legislator has the ability to propose new laws/bills and reviews and votes on others in the session. The legislature controls the purse for the state, determining how revenue or taxes are collected and allocated in the budget.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I don’t need a legacy, I just want to be a guy that stepped up when he needed to, and returned to his life after fixing some problems.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

9/11 and I was 11 in my parents living room.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked at an Ace Hardware store for about a year and a half.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Charm School by Nelson DeMille, it’s got history, action, romance, and it keeps you on the edge the whole time. It’s a 800 page book you’ll burn through in a week.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Santa Claus, to bring joy to all

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Dreams by Fleetwood Mac

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Alcohol

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

A symbiotic relationship in which the legislative branch writes and enacts laws and budgets that the executive branch carries out and manages. They work together to implement the will of the people.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

I believe that high costs of living in conjunction with a lack of locally produced agriculture and a heavy reliance on imported goods will lead to food security issues. I don’t believe we are in a good position to support our population in the event of a major catastrophe such as a nationwide depression or foreign war. I would like to propose legislation that incentivizes local food production, decreases GET surcharges on food sales, and decreases our reliance on imports. This can be started by requiring our school system to provide 30% or more of its meals from local sources.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes and no. I am sure it is beneficial to have some experience in how things have been done, but ultimately it comes down to your individual experience, knowledge, and drive to be effective in achieving your goals.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes, teamwork and collaboration of other great minds lead to better results. This must extend beyond partisan lines to be truly effective.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

I would like to have the decorum and fortitude of House Minority Leader Gene Ward who has been able to work with both sides for years to get what his district needs and stand firm on issues of principle.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

No. I can’t see myself being interested to serve in anything beyond the legislature at this time.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

When I was canvassing door to door in my district, I spoke with someone who is the director for a conservation organization, and I loved hearing about what they do so much that I have volunteered with them on work days about a half a dozen times now.

Tell us your favorite joke.

The trouble with our liberal friends isn’t that they are ignorant, it’s that they know so much that isn’t so - Ronald Reagan

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Yes, there absolutely need to be controls and measures. Hawai’i during the COVID lockdown era was probably the most draconian and unreasonably authoritarian of all 50 states. There needs to be a mechanism to require immediate court review of emergency actions of the executive without review or approval from the legislature. The governor still needs to hold the ability to move or respond quickly in a crisis, but any standing executive order or proclamation should be reviewed by one of the other branches.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

I would propose amendments to our conveyance tax statue to lower housing costs and encourage home ownership for Hawaii residents. I would like to exempt the transaction of tax if there will be owner occupants who will reside on the property for a period of two years or more as their primary residence. I would also like there to be a tax credit established for the seller of property to an owner occupant if the property is sold below the market’s “affordable housing” value. This would allow for the pricing to come down for Hawaii residents to create a more reasonable path to homeownership.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Maui Chamber of Commerce

What committees interest you?

Finance, housing, energy & environmental protection, and agriculture committees.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

I believe all public servants should be fully transparent with their personal investments and any other revenue sources. I would be in favor of expanding this obligation of reporting to members of their immediate family if needed to prevent work arounds to the current laws.

Would a state ballot initiative process be good or bad for your state?

A veto only initiative would be a good idea to allow citizens to repeal bad laws in the event they are somehow enacted without the majority’s consent. However, a process like this should be limited because our system is designed to be a representative republic, in which we elect representatives to establish laws and vote on our behalf for our best interest. I believe the process for new laws to be proposed by citizens would be cumbersome, messy, and expensive to manage.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was born and raised on Maui, and it has always been my home. I worked in the construction industry as carpenter throughout school, but after graduating for the University of Hawaii with a degree in Finance, I commenced a career in Project Management of commercial construction and renewable energy. I'm a father of two young children and am married to a loving and supportive wife. As I've lived in Hawaii, I've seen the cost of living rise over the years and have been saddened to see friends and family members be forced to move elsewhere because they couldn't afford it or could find better opportunities elsewhere. I want to make it my personal mission to reduce the cost of living, reduce taxation, restore personal freedoms, encourage small business and economic growth, and make Hawaii affordable again.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I believe that every individual knows best about their own life. When that comes to how they want to live, what they want to do, where they want to go, what health choices they make, how they worship God, or how they want to operate a business; it's not the government's job to tell people how to live. I support individualism and self empowerment, so a vote for me is a vote for you.Hawaii ranks dead last in adjusted cost of living. It is a struggle for many to get by, and I'm saddened by the amount of local families that leave for the mainland because they can't afford to live in their home. While we hear about affordable housing programs which require further development of our land, there is very little done to utilize the existing housing already built! To assist with housing prices, I'd like to propose a tax credit or capital gains forgiveness to property owners who sell to a Hawaii resident intending to be an owner-occupant. This would create a buffer between wealthy outsiders or banks who are willing to pay over a property's asking price, and local families who are scraping enough to get by.Our economy is too dependent on tourism and our State has done little to invest elsewhere in our economy. We need State initiatives and tax incentives for investment into locally owned agriculture and food production. I will push to create incentives for local resident property ownership, and support allocating funds to low interest financing for agricultural development. We also need to implement sustainable practices for new development and preserving water rights..

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Civil Liberties

Economic Growth

Cost of Living

Agriculture

Water Rights

Pro Life

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Rand Paul, and Donald Trump. I really like how Rand Paul doesn't go in lock step with the mainstream or even his own party if he feels sincere about something. Trump is a very polarizing character, but his heart for what he believes is out there for all to see, there are no concerns about what anyone thinks and is the best example of the American success story.

However, who I really look up to is Jesus Christ. For God so loved the world that he gave us his one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. This should really be the ultimate example of how to live, and not let the fear of man get in the way of praising Him in all that we do, for it is all to His glory.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

9/11/01, and I watched the towers fall when I was 11 with my family on TV.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Ace Hardware, I was a sales associate for about 1-1/2 years.