 This is St. Tech, Hawaii. Community matters here. Aloha. I'm Marcia Joyner, and this are the ties that bind. And today, we have my new best friend. And as our audience knows, I only talk to my best friends. But this lovely lady is Representative Beth Ufamoto. And I have to tell you this. This is really special. This is new for me, anyway. A year after quitting the Republican Party, she joined the Democratic Party as a state rep. And now, she is seeking a seat at the House of Representatives. She is going to leave Hawaii and go to the big time. All of this within a year. Well, welcome, Beth. Welcome. And tell us all about Beth. What district are you living? I live in District 36, which is Milani and Milani, Melka. So I'm a political junkie, as you may know. But what I don't understand is that I have seen so many smart, lovely, beautiful women in the Republican Party, and then they get pushed out. What happens? What is that about? Yeah, there are a lot of things. I think for me, because I've always been a moderate, there was definitely a philosophical issue. So as a Republican, I was considered a moderate, often labeled progressive. And I think even when we're seeing within the Democratic Party, there are many people way more conservative than I am. And I'm actually much further left than most. And so I think philosophically, I wasn't fitting where I was. But I think a lot of women, especially women who are pro-choice in the Republican Party have been pushed out over time. We've seen that happen. We've seen it here, here in Hawaii, how many really talented women, if they would keep them, the Republican Party could be something. And it's usually women of color. That's one of the things that we've seen, especially many of, it's specifically Japanese American women who just felt like there just wasn't a place for them, that the party didn't want them. And that's fair. Philosophically, I didn't fit. But I think my gender caused a problem for me in the party as well as the fact that I was non-white, to be honest. Even in Hawaii. Even in Hawaii, which I think there's something, you know, there was something that I say all the time that happened to me in one of our caucus meetings. The Republicans had just lost big and people were sitting around trying to figure out why. And I just openly said, I just openly said to them, you know, the reason why is that none of you are identifying with local people. I grew up here. This is my culture. And you don't, you're having trouble identifying with me and I'm sitting at the table with you. And somebody said to me, one of my colleagues said to me, listen, Beth, this is the party of middle America. And it is our job to bring middle American values to Hawaii. And I just said, oh my goodness, that's a very, very problematic statement. And this is why you lose, right? Well, yes. And that is problematic because that is what they work so hard to get rid of with the big five. And the plantation was exactly that. And now to see it come back. And it's still there. I went home and I drove, I was so frustrated by that conversation. I drove home and I sat with my dad, who is a Japanese American, sat down and I said, they're racist. I didn't, they're racist. Like it, people kept saying it to me and I wasn't realizing it. And, and they're racist. And as I said it, my dad just nodded. And he was like, yes, yeah. And, you know, he, he had, he had helped me in my races. He had, he had helped with my campaigns. But I think he just in his heart also knew, you know, this wasn't the right place for me. That's too bad because I, like I said, I am a political junkie and I do believe in a two-party system. Sure. But this, this isn't working. No, no, no. And unless they reach, and every now and then they reach out and I see these great women that come on board and then pretty soon they're gone. Yeah. Well, and I, I think, I used to say I believe in a, in a two-party system. Of course I do, but I think more than anything else I believe in dialogue and diversity in the system. And I think we can do that within the Democratic Party too. Right. Now, of course I'm considerably older than you are. And I remember when we did have a vibrant Republican Party and that you could get along with each other and we, they were friends. There was not no animosity. They were just different. And each district had a two-member district. So you would, you would vote it for the best person and then you voted for your friend. Right. Right. And so there wasn't this nasty animosity. Yeah. Well, people have said that the one of the worst things to happen to the Republican Party is multi-member districts getting, going away, right? Well, but it was the Republican Party that voted. Oh, I know. I know. They're the ones that suggested we can save money if we have. Oh, it's a good example of Republicans shooting themselves in the foot here in Hawaii. Okay. Well, this is the unintended. It happens. Yes. Yes. So now that you are settled into the Democratic Party and you're right, there are some people in the Democratic Party and I won't mention names, but you can tell by their voting record that this is not the place to be. That the only reason they're there is because with the D you win. Right. Right. Yeah. Right. But, but I have seen a lot of them. Right. I hate to say that. Yeah. And I don't want to say go away, but the only way we have a strong two-party system is if they belong to the party and they work to make it stronger. Right. But, okay. So now what I remember is that you were like the rest of us a part of Women's March in January and then you were not very kind to Mr. Trump. Right. And I don't think that went over well with your, your fellow. It did not. They shouldn't have been surprised though. I had not hidden that opinion for a full year at that point. And they shouldn't have been surprised. But I guess he was a president at that point. So apparently I was supposed to fall in line. Oh, I know. I know. I've known Gene Ward forever and even I had trouble talking to him at that point. Yeah. Yes. So now tell us, you have decided to run for Congress. Yeah. What, now the people in your district, anybody that doesn't know, when Beth decided to change parties to be a Democrat, you polled your constituents. Yes. And what was the response? About 70% of people said that they didn't care which party I was in or that they wanted to see me switch. The majority actually just said they didn't care. And, you know, the other 30% did not want me to switch. Of the people that responded. So we got about 500 responses. Oh, very good. Very good. How many people in the district? The voter count is about 11,000. Yeah. Well, that's good. 500 was a great sample. Yes. And you figure the people that didn't respond probably fall more into the cap of it didn't really matter to them. I would think so. Yeah. Most of their surprise that they even know your name. Yeah. I mean, Milani, Milani is a great place to represent. There's one place to sine wave. And that's it. People are coming in and out that way. So you get good name ID very quickly. I've been door to door so many times, like they've seen my face so many times. They do know me. And I think that's part of why the response was just it doesn't matter to us which party you're in. They know me. Yeah. So tell us about me. While you were in the house. Yeah. So when I first ran for office, I had actually gotten back from graduate school in 2008. I came back to Hawaii to save up. I wanted to go get my PhD or law degree eventually. Came back to Hawaii though because it was the recession. Wanted to find a job. So I did. And the only place I could find a job is at the legislature. And so I started working for the house minority at the time. I knew so little about about politics that I didn't know that that meant Republicans even I just needed a job. So I got in. But when I was there, I just felt like there wasn't enough progress being made for people like me, right? My student loans were so high. I couldn't move out of my parents house. My parents were struggling to to get by too. And I just looked at the legislature and said, you guys are fighting about small things when Hawaii is facing these big issues and nobody's doing anything. And isn't this supposed to be what the Democratic Party is about? And and if if all of these things of protecting corporate interests and if if only listening to Bishop Street is what the Democratic Party is about now, then I guess I'm a Republican. That was, you know, my thought process. And maybe as a Republican, I can make a change for for regular families and average families. So I tried really hard. That's why I got into politics. It's why I ran for office. I think I did I was able to get a lot of legislation moving on some very progressive bills actually passed the legislature. But you know, even then I looked at it and said, well, I think I'm actually passing Democratic bills, not really, you know, things that would fit better in the Democratic Party. But what like what? So one example of the bills that I one of the proudest ones for me was that I got coverage for women that wanted to get STD and HIV testing. So one of the things that was happening is that people that were grandfathered in and didn't have an affordable care act appropriate plan couldn't get coverage for STD testing. So they were having to pay out of pocket. Yes. And and so what my bill said is that insurance companies have to cover it regardless in Hawaii. That's turning out to be a really great thing because now that we're looking at, you know, the Trump administration possibly rolling back some of the requirements, Hawaii people will be covered because I passed this bill, which I just find so rewarding. Well, it is, but I'm just amazed that something as simple as a blood test would not be covered. No, and it's out of pocket and people were paying as much as, you know, if you paid cash, you could maybe get it for $60. But who has that? Simple. Simple is a blood test. Yeah. I'm amazed. I am absolutely amazed. So why would that be a Democrat or a Republican issue? It doesn't necessarily have to be. A lot of the supporters that came out forth, though, were the Planned Parenthood and the typical sort of Democratic Party supporters. It shouldn't be a partisan issue. But, you know, even within the Republican Party, yeah, people were like, why are you talking about STDs? Why aren't you talking about abstinence or, you know, that sort of thing? Right? I just, I mean, the Republican Party has gotten very far to the right on a lot of these things. I can understand like Gil Rivera. Now, I don't know if he's way to the right or what not, but he comes from a district of Mormon. Correct. So we understand, you know, we can't blame him because that's who, that's in the district, Woodson, again. I don't agree with his votes, but that's the district he comes from. Those are the people that elect him. So we understand that's not a Democrat or Republican. That's his neighbor. Those are people that voted for him. Right, right, right. So I, but something as simple as a blood test, it kind of blows me away. Right, right. And I've had, I've had some issues like that too, because I come from another district that's pretty socially conservative or can be. And so one of the, the examples that I always bring up, something that I've had to learn with time as a legislator, when we were talking about medical marijuana dispensaries, I felt really strongly like we needed to pass it. My district survey was coming in at 70 percent against it. And so I said, okay, maybe people need to understand the actual human interest here. And so I wrote a letter to the whole district talking about this little girl in the district that was having seizures, couldn't get access to medicinal marijuana and she needed it. So I was able to turn the district, we pulled again after that and the district was 70 percent in favor because they were reading what I was writing. And so many of your people are in the military where it's no. Right. And so making sure that they understand, I think it's all, our responsibility as legislators is to go back to voters with those tough issues and explain, no, this is why, like, maybe you didn't have all the information. This is why I believe this. Please be on my side. I'm going to vote yes. And that's what we should be doing. And I had to learn that with time. Well, now that's very good. That's a very good idea. I wish more legislators did that, the follow-up. This, I am voting and this is why. Yeah. And I think that is so good. Yeah. Because sometimes you come across things, and I didn't know this early on, but sometimes you come across things where your conscience is just different than that of your voters. And you have to, you have to go with your conscience. Like, you have to go with what's right. But that doesn't mean that you don't answer to your voters too. And there's a way to negotiate that. Yes. Now we need to take a break. Okay. And when we come back, I want to talk about you going to Washington. Okay. Great. We'll be right back. This is Think Tech Hawaii, raising public awareness. I sang this song to you because I think you either are cool or have the potential to be seriously cool. And I want you to come watch my show where I bring in experts who talk all about easy strategies to be healthier, happier, build better relationships, and make your life a success. So come sit with the cool kids at Out of the Comfort Zone on Tuesdays at one. Hi, I'm back. I'm Marsha Joyner, and we are talking with Representative Beth Bukamofo. This charming young lady has decided to run for Congress. Do you really want to go to DC? I do. That cold, miserable weather. I do. You know, I took my, and I've been thinking about Congress. And you always think about Congress. But for me, the decision came in because I was thinking, do I really want to go to DC? Like this is such a mess, and politics is not getting better. And I was actually feeling really down about politics. I went to DC with my niece for the first time. She's 10. And we walked through Congress. We walked through, and I just, I remembered the magic of what DC can be. Oh, that building. When you walk through it, you feel those doors. And you can hear your footsteps on that marble floor. It is mesmerizing, yes. And you know, and more so just it's the building's great, like what it's about is great. But then just all of it, just that feeling of this is what Congress should be. Because it used to be about change. It used to be about doing what's best for the voters, not just fighting amongst ourselves. And gosh, I believe it can be that again. So that's why I want to go. Good. So, and what do you have in mind that you're going to represent a little state and we have less than 218 votes? How many Democrats do we have now? Oh, I don't know the exact count. Okay. Hopefully more. Yeah, more. Just to let you know that to get a bill on the floor, you need 218. That's the magic number. 218 people. The Democrats don't have 218. So they get nothing to the floor, nothing. As is 218 House members. So let's, we're hoping that in November, that number will change. So we can at least get something to the floor. So let's assume that you win and we have that magic number of 218. What would you like to do? What is your vision? What would you like to say? I represent Hawaii and this is what we want, we need, we should have. Right. I would love to champion infrastructure reform and infrastructure funding. I think there are, and this could be like a two hour long conversation. So I'll sum it up. There are all sorts of grants that are not being well utilized. The Trump administration is trying to shift some of that funding to different places that would not be promoting smart growth. So I specifically think that in Hawaii what we really need is three or four different grant programs that already exist, but are on the chopping block right now to make sure that those programs are better funded and concentrated in smart growth areas, like along the rail line, along our urban corridor, making sure that we are able to build housing. Because for me, I think that is the crisis facing our state. It's something that we can address on all levels, but the federal government has a lot that it can do. And that's in terms of energy grants, that's different things to fix the grid, make sure people can have affordable energy, making sure that our sewers are running properly. All these things that are like not sexy to talk about, but at the same time, things that we really need. Okay, now you are running from CD1. Correct. That is a congressional district one. Where is that? So that is, if you imagine sort of a triangle, it takes in Koalina and Kapolei on one side, it takes in Hawaii on the other side, and Milani up at the top. So my entire district is within congressional district one. So all of CD1 is Oahu. Yeah, so I call it urban and suburban Honolulu. Yeah. So CD2 would be Oahu and all the neighbor islands. Yeah, so it's the neighbor islands, it's Kailua, Honolulu, all of those places. It's so different. Right. It's very different, and they're very different needs. And that's one of the things when we talk about energy policy. And when I've been talking to DC groups, they say like, what kinds of energy policies are you gonna or environmental policies do you want to champion? There are a lot. For me specifically, though, I think in this district, it's making sure we have clean water, making sure the sewers are cleaned up and are not going to impact clean water, making sure like a smart growth that we have alternative modes of transportation, bike paths, like all that stuff are environmental issues. But that's the way to talk about it in CD1. And I think in CD2, it's a completely different way to talk about it. It is completely different. What about the oceans? Is that part of your... Oh, sure. I mean, I think we all were all concerned about that. Oh, yeah. I mean, I think we know if for no other reason, CD1, we have Waikiki, that's our big tourism driver in CD1. Coalina is while making sure that we continue to have clean oceans, making sure that we have a sustainable fishery, making sure that we're not like I said, overfishing, treating the oceans poorly. Sea level rise is a big issue. I recently heard that within the next 20 years, we're going to have huge flooding problems in downtown Honolulu where we're hoping to have more growth and housing. Well, let me tell you where I live. We, when we moved in 1982 at high tide, the ducks would fly up to the seawall. Now at high tide, the ducks walk into the yard. So that's how much it has risen in those years. So we can see sea-wise. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And that's something, you know, all the different things we're talking about. And that's such a national issue. It's a global issue. All of these agreements we're pulling out of, all the things that, there's suddenly not a focus, right, with this administration on environmental policy and we need to change that. No, they just pretend like it doesn't exist. How? As, since we only have four people in Congress, what can you do to see that we do get those monies? That Hawaii does get the money that you say we're entitled to that is there, this grant monies? What do you do to make sure we get that? I think there are a few things and a few reasons why I think I'm the best candidate for the race. I think one, one is that you have to be willing to be a workhorse, right? We have to, we know this is going to be the largest, likely the largest freshman class we've seen in decades, which means our new member is going to be amongst a lot of new members. And I think the one way to set yourself apart is to say, hey, listen, I don't care if I get the credit, just let me work on this bill. And while I'll help you do it, like just talk to your chairs. That's how I've gotten things done at the legislature here. Talk to the chairs and just say, hey, you don't even have to say it was me. Just let me work on this language and let this is what's important for Hawaii. Let me slip it in and advocating that way. And then I think there's also the argument that we need to start building seniority back. We used to have a lot of seniority and we don't have that now. Oh, that's right. We don't. No. And you know, for me coming in, I would be 35. Dan Inouye was 35 when he got elected. Patsy Mink was 37. That's why they were able to build the seniority they were able to build and to make the change they needed to make because you have to start really early and take all that time behind the scenes. And all of those cold, miserable winters. Right. And I'm willing to suck it up, you know. I can say I'll bide my time, work behind the scenes. I don't need the attention. I just want to get things done. Well, yeah, that makes sense. And working with, well, with just four people, it's easy to have camaraderie. Are there any Republicans running for that office? So far, unless things have changed in the last week, no, there are no Republicans running for the office. So the primary, the primary election, yeah. Oh, that's not good. No, it's probably not great for democracy. But I do think that that they that the debate is happening in the primary. So I do think voters have a bunch of different options. There is diversity. And hey, there's a really big spectrum here. I think we have all points of you represented in this in this particular group of people running for the primary. And I think that if people actually look at my record and what I believe I'm the strongest Democratic candidate that holds the strongest Democratic values. Wonderful. That is great. I'm impressed. But I still see that the see the Republicans lost to you that that's Oh, well, yeah, yeah, that this is where I belong to those. That was not smart. Yeah. So they by not having a candidate, they've just abdicated. Yeah, I mean, they saw the week, right? So they'll probably come up with somebody, but I don't think it was strong. July, June, June 5. Next week, next week. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, so while crossing our fingers for one more week, nobody else gets in the race. It's in the race. Yeah. Yeah. Because there's enough people running for CD one other than me. Everybody's running. Right, right, right there. I think we are at five now. I would and that's actually similar to 2014 as well. But yeah, there are five people. So well, I am thoroughly impressed. And tell us a little bit more. We started talking about what you've done locally, the bills that you worked on locally. So for me, I've moved a lot of housing policy out of the state house, and it's not passed in the Senate for the most part. One of the bills that I'm actually most proud of it's not necessarily housing policy, but we have real estate investment trusts in Hawaii and nationally are not taxed. So it's it's a loophole. It's largely corporations owned by corporations. And it was originally supposed to be a way for regular people to own property. That's not the way it's been. Now it's the top 1% is investing in this and not paying any tax in Hawaii. 98% of those investors are out of state. So we don't even get that money through income taxes. And so what I tried to do is close that loophole. I took a couple of different shots at it, and it kept dying in the Senate in the all Democratic Senate. I feel like I have to keep pointing that out because this this is a Senate that should have been in favor of, yeah, let's who are they owned by, but who are they taking money from? And you know, and I've said that about some of my some of my opponents in the race, too. You know, why do they keep killing these bills that would help local people help keep taxes in Hawaii, make sure that out of state investors that are wealthy are going to be the ones paying for some of these infrastructure projects and affordable housing projects that we desperately need. We do. We desperately need housing. That's the reason that we have homeless people, right? You can't make $10 an hour and pay $1,800 a month, right? You just can't, right? And I've been in favor of minimum wage increases and a lot of the other programs, but at the end of the day, if we fix our housing crisis, we will fix so much. Oh, we will. We will. Well, my dear, this has been a real pleasure with you. Thank you. And after you win, you'll come back and talk to us again with you. Of course, yes. Great. Thank you so much. Thank you. And Aloha, and we'll see you next time.