Some Democrats running for the Legislature will win their seats outright in the Aug. 11 primary; no candidates filed from any other party so there will be no general election.

Civil Beat analyzed campaign finance data released Thursday in four of these races — the North Shore, Kaneohe, Mililani and聽 Manoa — with an eye toward who might be in the best position with less than a month to go before the primary. The latest reports cover the period from Jan. 1 through June 30.

Clayton Hee, who dropped out of the race for governor, is running again for the Senate seat that he once held for a decade. He’s got the financial advantage over incumbent Sen. Gil Riviere.

These voters cast their ballots at Manoa Elementary School in a previous election. Brian Tseng/Civil Beat

In the race for the Kaneohe Senate seat, Rep. Jarrett Keohokalole has raised more money than Rep. Ken Ito, who’s represented the area for an additional two decades.

Mililani Mauka Board Chair Dean Hazama has raised more than former Rep. Marilyn Lee in the bid for her old seat.

In Manoa, first-time challenger聽Andrew Garrett outspent Dale Kobayashi, the Manoa neighborhood board chair who almost unseated incumbent Rep. Isaac Choy in the 2016 primary. Kobayashi has raised slightly more cash.

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated Andrew Garrett had outraised Dale Kobayashi.

North Shore

Hee, who鈥檚 vying for the seat to represent Oahu鈥檚 coast from Kaena to Kahaluu, loaned himself $100,000 this year to support his campaign, spending shows. Hee wrote the checks to himself while he was still a candidate in the gubernatorial race. He dropped out聽of that contest last month, citing financial concerns.

DCIM/111MEDIA/DJI_0426.JPG
Two veteran state lawmakers are running against each other for the North Shore Senate seat. Voters there are concerned about a number of issues including erosion that can be seen here at Sunset Beach. Anthony Quintano/Civil Beat/2017

Hee raised nearly and spent more than $37,000 this year. Most of those and were made while he was still a gubernatorial candidate.

Hee had more than $100,000 left in his campaign account as of June 30.

Riviere, has a similar campaign war chest of $34,000 but hasn鈥檛 loaned himself any money, according to campaign finance . Riviere has $29,000 this year.

Kaneohe

Sen. Jill Tokuda, who鈥檚 running for lieutenant governor, is vacating her Kaneohe seat. Two of her colleagues in the House are campaigning for that seat聽in the primary race.

Pali Lookout overlooking Kaneohe Bay.
The Pali Lookout overlooks Kaneohe Bay where two House members are hoping to move up to the state Senate. Cory Lum/Civil Beat

Rep. Ken Ito, elected in 1994, and Rep. Jarrett Keohokalole, elected in 2014, are vying to replace Tokuda. Keohokalole seems to have the financial edge, though Ito has an additional two decades of name recognition on his opponent.

Keohokalole had $68,000 as of June 30, according to campaign finance . He鈥檚 raised $49,000 and spent $36,000 this year.

Ito鈥檚 campaign fund had as of June 30. Ito raised about $20,000 less and spent $11,000 less than Keohokalole, by comparison.

Ito and Keohokalole both received donations from their colleagues in the Legislature. Candidates may donate to other candidates聽with their own personal funds and, through a loophole in state law, they can purchase up to two tickets to a colleague鈥檚 fundraiser.

Rep. Isaac Choy, who is not seeking reelection, and Sen. Donna Mercado Kim, who鈥檚 running for Congress, both to Ito.

Ito two tickets to attend a fundraiser for Rep. Troy Hashimoto.

He also purchased tickets to fundraisers for state House candidates Lisa Kitagawa, Scot Matayoshi and Natalia Hussey-Burdick. All three are running to represent Kaneohe, and Matayoshi and Hussey-Burdick are running for the seat Ito will vacate.

Keohokalole received donations from House Speaker Scott Saiki and Majority Leader Della Au Belatti, two of the top House leaders. Sen. Stanley Chang and Sen. Russell Ruderman also donated to Keohokalole鈥檚 campaign.

Keohokalole did not donate to another candidate, according to campaign finance data.

Mililani

Five candidates are squaring off for the House District 36 seat that runs from Mililani Mauka to Waipio Acres. Rep. Beth Fukumoto gave up the seat to run for Congress.

Mayor Kirk Caldwell gives press conference near the intersection of Anania street and Meheula Parkway announcing Construction and repaving was finished. 30dec2014. photograph Cory Lum/Civil Beat
The Mililani area is split across three districts, but District 36 is the only district that is exclusively Mililani. Cory Lum/Civil Beat

Marilyn Lee, is taking another shot at running for the seat that she held from 1996 until she lost to Fukumoto in 2012. In the 2016 general election, Lee again challenged Fukumoto, a Republican at that time, and by more than 3,500 votes.

Her campaign fund had $6,000 as of June 30. She raised nearly $9,000, loaned $1,000 to herself and spent $4,000.

Zuri Aki, member of the neighborhood board that oversees Mililani, Waipio and Melemanu, is running again for the seat. He ran against Lee, who is vice chair of the neighborhood board the 2016 Democratic primary but lost by聽more than 1,500

He started off this year’s campaign with $14,000 and raised $3,500, some of which was donated by family, data . He spent $12,000 and had $1,000 in the bank as of June 30.

Dean Hazama, chair of the Mililani Mauka and Launani Valley Neighborhood Board, raised and spent $13,500, more than any other District 36 contender.

Val Okimoto is a close on Hazama鈥檚 heels when it comes to fundraising, according to campaign spending . She鈥檚 spent $8,000 and raised $15,000, though she and her family donated about $2,000 of that money.

Trish La Chica, member of the neighborhood board that Aki chairs, has raised and spent the least amount of money in the race.

La Chica and family members have donated a total of $4,500. She鈥檚 raised $7,500 and spent $11,000.

Manoa

Choy, the incumbent in District 23, including Manoa and Punahou, decided not to run for re-election. He won in 2016 by just 70 votes more than Democrat Dale Kobayashi.

Manoa Marketplace Monkeypod Tree parking lot.
Manoa Marketplace is in the heart of District 23 where five candidates are running in the Democratic primary. Cory Lum/Civil Beat

Kobayashi is running for the seat again this year. He chairs the Manoa neighborhood board and his mother, Ann Kobayashi, is a longtime politician who currently serves on the Honolulu City Council. She鈥檚 already donated $2,000 to his campaign this year, the maximum amount allowed in a state House race.

Donna Mercado Kim鈥檚 campaign has also donated $230 to Kobayashi.

Kobayashi鈥檚 campaign had $32,000 as of June 30, according to campaign finance . He鈥檚 spent $16,000 and received $35,000 in donations this year.

Kobayashi is running against Dylan Armstrong, Elton Fukumoto, Benton Rodden and Andrew Garrett in the primary.聽聽

Garrett has spent the most cash. Garrett and a family member donated to his campaign last year.

He鈥檚 received donations totaling $34,000 and spent $28,000 this year. Garrett had $17,000 as of June 30, shows.

Fukumoto raised , though family members donated almost all of the money. He鈥檚 spent $7,000.

Benton started off with $10,000 from a prior campaign, shows. He鈥檚 also spent $7,000, but raised more than $5,000 this year.

Armstrong had not filed a report by Friday.

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