Greg Guithues for Hawaiʻi

2026 Democratic Primary — Hawaiʻi's 2nd Congressional District

"You are my special interest."

Who I Am

I'm Greg Guithues. I live in Ocean View on the Big Island. I stand against tyranny and will call a fascist a fascist. I'm retired, I draw Social Security, and I'm not scared. Someone has to say something — I'm the one standing here.

District: Hawaiʻi's 2nd Congressional District. Rural parts of Oahu and all neighboring islands.

Party: Democrat

Home: Ocean View, Big Island (since 2014)

Income: Retired. Social Security, $3,386/mo. House is paid for.

Donations: Humans only. No corporations. No PACs.

Read my story.

Why I’m Running

"When my representative told me she was scared, I said, get out of the way. I'm not scared. I can do this. I'm not the only one that can do it, but I'm the one that's standing here now."

I'm running because silence in the face of injustice isn't caution — it's complicity.

In January 2017, a senior Trump White House advisor looked into a camera and described outright falsehoods as "alternative facts." The fact-checkers have been losing ground ever since. Last year a congressman from Texas stood up on the House floor, told the President of the United States "you have no mandate to take health care from poor people," and was removed from the chamber for it — while my own representative stayed seated.

I'm running for the people. The government exists to help the people who need help — not to make the rich richer. I acknowledge my advantage and I want everyone in this great country to have the opportunities I have enjoyed.

It's expensive being poor.

For over a year we'd been out on the highway in Ocean View every Sunday, 11 to noon, protesting growing fascism in America with my neighbors. Signs in hand. I frequently contacted my representative and both senators — email and phone. Nothing back from the senators. From Rep. Tokuda, I got a response.

It wasn't a bad letter. Substantive. She listed her actions. But in the very first sentence she wrote: "I hear the fear, anger, and urgency in your message, and I share it."

She was scared.

I'm not scared. If you're scared, get out of the way.

If Rep. Tokuda wins the primary, she will have my vote. She's a solid center-left politician. I'll be a far-left one. It's a matter of degree. I think I'm more progressive. The choice is yours.

I'm not the only person who could do this. But I'm the one standing here now.

The Platform

My platform is built on equality and dignity: the money exists. It has always existed. The question is whether government works for everyone — or only for those who already have everything.

1. Impeach Trump "Be in that number."

We've been wagging signs on the highway Sunday mornings in Ocean View for a year now. One of mine reads: "Impeach Him Again." I want to be in that number.

Plan A — The Blue Wave
The 2026 midterms produce a hard Democratic wave. The House flips. First order of business: elect a new Speaker of the House. Then impeach and remove both Trump and Vance. Per the line of presidential succession, the Speaker becomes President. My preferred Speaker: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. For years I've said "On the day AOC announces a bid for the presidency, I'll send her money."

Plan B — If the House Stays Red
Republicans pour money into the midterms and retain the House. I will not submit quietly. I will be a disruption. I will make noise. When the Speaker calls for decorum, I'll be the reason he's calling for it. I hope Al Green and 100 others will be standing beside me. The House will be raucous. Rock the house baby — we're not going to let him turn my country into a shithole dictatorship.

Plan B Prime — House Flips, Senate Doesn't
We take the House but not the Senate. Impeachment passes — Trump is impeached again — but removal requires 67 Senate votes, which means Republican senators must cross over. My role: make so much noise on the national stage that Republican senators can't ignore it. The Senate phone system handled 1,600 calls per minute in the early weeks of Trump's second term — compared to a normal rate of 40. Every senator receives a daily report of the most-called-about topics, sorted by ZIP code. I will remind those constituents: keep calling.

2. Income Inequality & Tax Reform "The money exists. It always has."

Congress sets the tax code. That is not an accident — it is a constitutional responsibility. And for the past four decades, that responsibility has been used to funnel wealth upward.

The top marginal tax rate on the wealthiest Americans was above 90% through the early 1960s. Then came Reagan. The Tax Reform Act of 1986 cut the top rate from 70% to 28%. Trump's 2017 tax bill cut it further to 37% and slashed the corporate rate from 35% to 21%. The middle class has been shrinking ever since. That is not a coincidence. It is a policy choice. I will fight to reverse it.

My job in Washington is to make sure government remembers who actually needs it. Government is here to serve the people, not the donors.
3. Education Funding Equity "It's expensive being poor."

In most of America, the quality of your child's public school is determined by the property tax base of the ZIP code you live in. I know this firsthand. When my children were school-aged in Ohio, we moved from a middle-class neighborhood to one with doctors and lawyers as neighbors — not because our income had dramatically changed, but because we were spending so much on private school to escape an underfunded public system that moving to a higher property-tax district actually made financial sense.

Poor families cannot make that calculation. They are stuck. And their children pay the price.

It's expensive being poor.

Last year my daughter finished her bachelor's degree. In her forties. To my knowledge, the first person in her family tree to earn one. I can't say how proud I am. Education changes lives across generations. Every child in America deserves access to it, regardless of ZIP code.
4. Universal Healthcare "Medical and dental for all."

I've recently begun receiving VA health benefits from my ten months of Air Force service. No bills for basic care and blood work.

We should all have that.

The wealthiest nation in the history of the world has the resources to provide every citizen with medical and dental care. The money doesn't disappear — it gets concentrated at the top. Fix the tax structure, and you fix the funding. It's the same fight.

5. Environmental Protection "We have one planet."

We have one planet. I live on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi — one of the most ecologically precious places on Earth. Federal policy must reflect the reality that no amount of economic growth matters if we destroy the natural systems that sustain all life. Taking everything we can today and leaving nothing for future generations isn't a policy. It's a betrayal.
6. Native Hawaiian Rights and Dignity "Dignity for a people."

I didn't grow up in Hawaiʻi. I'm not Native Hawaiian. But it's my place as a human being to demand the dignity of a people. The history of Native Hawaiians — and native peoples across our nation — is a history of sovereign nations disrupted by outside forces. Their rights, their cultures, and their sovereignty deserve full respect and active advocacy in Washington. I will provide it.
7. Affordable Housing ""

8. Science "Bring back the science!"

9. This is expandable! "Tell me what's important to you!"

Goals in Office

I don't come to Washington with a pre-packaged legislative agenda written by lobbyists and consultants. I come with values, a backbone, and a willingness to listen. The people of Hawaiʻi's 2nd District will help shape what we fight for together.

What I can tell you is this: I will stand for the dignity of every human being — and every living thing. I will fight against the extraction mentality that treats this planet and its people as resources to be consumed for short-term profit. I will be loud when loudness is required. I will be present. I will show up.

Core Values

Integrity

"Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity." — Job 31:6 (KJV)

I don't ask you to take my word for it. I ask to be weighed — by my record, my actions, and my willingness to show up. In a political climate defined by lies and alternative facts, integrity is the baseline. Everything else flows from it.

Courage

"Walking away from a just confrontation is not peace. It is failure." — Bhagavad Gita

When Al Green stood up on the House floor and was removed for it, he was not being reckless. He was being righteous. I too will speak truth to power.

Faith

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." — Hebrews 11:1

I'm running for a seat I'm not favored to win, in a race against a comfortable well funded incumbent. I do it anyway. Faith is not the absence of doubt. It is the decision to act in spite of it.

Dignity

For every human being. For every living thing. For every generation that has not yet been born. A society is judged based on how it treats the most vulnerable — not how it rewards the most powerful.

Calls to Action

Vote

Greg Guithues. Hawaiʻi's 2nd Congressional District. Democratic Primary. Ballots go out in late July 2026 and are due August 8, 2026. Choose my name from the list.

Spread the Word

Tell your neighbors. Share the website. Talk to your community. This is a grassroots campaign. That means word of mouth. Tell somebody.

Donate

This is a million-dollar project. I will only accept donations from humans. No corporations. No PACs. Can you spare $10? A different amount?

Sign the Petition

I probably already have enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot. But I'm bringing my clipboard to community gatherings until May when I turn in the paperwork. I will submit all the signatures. I'd like you to be one of them.

Get in Touch

Contact me through the website.

Political Hero

Al Green represents Texas on the House floor. He stood up during a Trump address and said: "You have no mandate to take health care from poor people." They removed him from the chamber for it. A few others walked out in solidarity. My own representative did neither. Al Green is my hero.

Al Green is my hero.

Slogans

Primary Campaign Slogan: "You are my special interest."

Personal Tagline: "Every odd fellow has a place in society. This is my kuleana. What's yours?"

Additional Slogans:

"You are my special interest."
"Decorum be damned."
"Rock Congress."
"Not afraid to be outrageous."
"I will not walk away from a just confrontation."
"I will not compromise my integrity."
"It's expensive being poor."
"Impeach Him Again."

Endorsements

I expect strong community support as my campaign builds momentum. Check back here as endorsements come in.

Key Dates

Papers Filed: March 5, 2026
Signature Deadline: June 2, 2026 (25 signatures, $75, notarized)
Ballots Mailed: Late July 2026
Primary Election: August 8, 2026

"Every odd fellow has a place in society. This is my kuleana. What's yours?"

Read his story • Take action • Photos

Paid for by Greg Guithues for Hawaii • GregForHawaii.us • "You are my special interest."

Greg holding a Tax Billionaires Away sign