# Kim Coco Iwamoto

Kim Coco Iwamoto (born May 26, 1968) is an American politician from Hawaii and member of the Hawaii House of Representatives. Iwamoto is the first transgender state legislator in Hawaii history. She was also one of the Democratic primary candidates for the position of Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii in the 2018 election. She previously served as a commissioner on the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission and was elected to serve two terms on the Hawaii Board of Education.
Iwamoto was recognized as a Champion of Change by President Barack Obama in 2013 and in 2018, Newsweek listed her as one of fifty need-to-know pioneers for LGBTQ rights.
In September 2024, Iwamoto and nine others were arrested and cited for alleged obstruction at a protest at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children during a management lockout of unionized nurses. The charges were later dismissed.

## Early life and career

Iwamoto was born on the island of Kauai and is of Japanese descent. Her mother went into labor at a private party hosted by Grace Guslander to celebrate the expansion of her Coco Palms Resort, and Iwamoto was then born the next day. Guslander visited Iwamoto's mother in the hospital with a bouquet of flowers, a card, and a request to name Iwamoto “Coco” after her hotel.

### Education

Iwamoto attended Kaimukī Community Christian Pre-School on Oʻahu, Hōkūlani Elementary School, Aliʻiōlani Elementary School, and Hanahauʻoli School. She later attended and graduated from Saint Louis School in 1986. She went on to qualify as an Associate of Arts in Merchandising at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Subsequently, she received a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University and a Juris Doctor from the University of New Mexico School of Law.
In 2011, Iwamoto completed Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government as a David Bohnett Foundation LGBTQ Victory Institute Leadership Fellow.

### Family and personal life

Iwamoto's paternal great-grandparents left Japan to work in the sugar cane plantations of Kauaʻi. Her paternal grandmother met her paternal grandfather at Tip-Top Restaurant on Kauai, where she was working as a cashier. The two used their family cars to start a taxi company, which eventually expanded into a tour company and a rental car company. Iwamoto's father began working for the family business in high school as a car washer, and their collective efforts became known as Roberts Hawaii.
Iwamoto's maternal grandparents left Japan to grow cantaloupe and other produce in Imperial Valley, California. During World War II, Iwamoto's mother and her family were forced into internment camps in Poston, Arizona. Iwamoto's uncles were released from the internment camp to enlist in the military to serve the United States of America. Eventually, the entire family was released and they returned to their farm. When Iwamoto's mother was in high school, she contributed to the family business by taking care of all the bookkeeping.

### Volunteering and leadership

Shortly after finishing her undergraduate degree, Iwamoto moved back to New York City, where she attended the Fashion Institute of Technology. Using her own life experience as a transgender woman, she spent time volunteering at a local community center, helping youth develop leadership skills. It was here that her passions for helping homeless youth and LGBTQ homeless youth were fostered. Helping youth like the ones she worked with in New York was part of her motivation for attending law school. When she returned to Hawaii, she became a licensed therapeutic foster parent. Her foster children would ask her to testify to the Hawaii Board of Education to share their experiences of being bullied and harassed as out trans and gay teenagers.

### Public service and business experience

Iwamoto's other work experiences include serving as Managing Attorney at Volunteer Legal Services Hawaii and facilitating affordable housing through AQuA Rentals, LLC (Affordable Quality Apartment Rentals, LLC). Her volunteer work includes serving on the board of directors for both Kūlia Nā Mamo and Hawaiʻi People's Fund. Iwamoto also co-founded the Hawaii Chamber of Sustainable Commerce, a collective of about 250 businesses as of June 2024.

## Political career
### Early political career

Iwamoto served two terms with the Hawaii Board of Education, Oahu-at-Large, from 2006 to 2011. Her election as a trans woman in November 2006 made her, at that time, the highest-ranking openly transgender elected official in the United States and the first openly transgender official to win statewide office. She was reelected in 2010 with 25% more votes than in 2006. Later, Iwamoto served as a commissioner on the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, appointed by Governor Neil Abercrombie to serve a four-year term from 2012 to 2016.
She ran for the 13th State Senate district in 2016 but was defeated by Karl Rhoads in a three-way Democratic primary.

### 2018 Lieutenant Governor primary election

Iwamoto announced her bid for Lieutenant Governor in November 2017. She was endorsed by the Sierra Club of Hawaii, Victory Fund, Maui Time Weekly, Our Revolution Oʻahu Chapter, Unite Here! Local 5, politician Gary Hooser, activist Mari Matsuda, and advocate and teacher Maya Soetoro-Ng, among others. She came in fourth place, losing the nomination to Senator Josh Green.

### Hawaii House of Representatives

In 2020, Iwamoto ran unsuccessfully against incumbent House speaker Scott Saiki in the Democratic primary for the 26th State House district. She contested him again in 2022 for the 25th district, losing in both primaries by around 200 votes.
In 2024, Iwamoto won the 2024 primary against Saiki. Iwamoto was unchallenged in the general election and was elected to represent the 25th district. Upon taking office, she became the first openly transgender state legislator in Hawaii history.

## Electoral history
### 2024

Hawaii's 25th House District Democratic primary election, 2024 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Kim Coco Iwamoto | 2,649 | 52.5% |
| | Democratic | Scott Saiki (incumbent) | 2,395 | 47.5% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 5,044 | 100% |

### 2022

Hawaii's 25th House District Democratic primary election, 2022 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Scott Saiki (incumbent) | 2,680 | 51.5% |
| | Democratic | Kim Coco Iwamoto | 2,519 | 48.5% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 5,199 | 100% |

### 2020

Hawaii's 26th District House of Representatives election, 2020 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Scott Saiki (incumbent) | 3,393 | 51.3 |
| | Democratic | Kim Coco Iwamoto | 3,226 | 48.7 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 6,619 | 100 |

### 2018

Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii election, 2018 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Josh Green | 74,845 | 31.4 |
| | Democratic | Jill Tokuda | 68,124 | 28.6 |
| | Democratic | Bernard Carvalho | 45,825 | 19.2 |
| | Democratic | Kim Coco Iwamoto | 34,243 | 14.3 |
| | Democratic | Will Espero | 15,463 | 6.5 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 238,500 | 100.0 |

### 2016

2016 Hawaii's 13th Senate District Democratic Primary election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Karl Rhoads | 3,606 | 41.8% |
| | Democratic | Kim Coco Iwamoto | 2,530 | 29.4% |
| | Democratic | Keone Nakoa | 1,865 | 21.6% |
| | N/A | Blank Votes | 612 | 7.1% |
| | N/A | Over Votes | 7 | 0.1% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 8,620 | 100.0% |

### 2010

2010 Hawaii Board of Education election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Nonpartisan | Pamela Young | 117,489 | 14.7 |
| | Nonpartisan | Kim Coco Iwamoto | 102,995 | 12.9 |
| | Nonpartisan | Randal M.L. Lee | 76,682 | 9.6 |
| | Nonpartisan | Brian Y. Yamane | 74,806 | 9.4 |
| | Nonpartisan | Melanie Bailey | 73,052 | 9.1 |
| | Nonpartisan | Roger Kiyoshi Takabayashi | 62,216 | 7.8 |
| | N/A | Blank Votes | 291,033 | 36.4 |
| | N/A | Over Votes | 96 | 0.0 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 876,574 | 100 |

### 2006

2006 Hawaii Board of Education election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Nonpartisan | Donna R. Ikeda | 123,345 | 17.1 |
| | Nonpartisan | Karen Knudson | 110,823 | 15.4 |
| | Nonpartisan | Kim Coco Iwamoto | 81,734 | 11.4 |
| | Nonpartisan | Terrance W.H. Tom | 78,205 | 10.9 |
| | Nonpartisan | Brian Y. Yamane | 68,916 | 9.6 |
| | Nonpartisan | Darwin L.D. Ching | 66,332 | 9.2 |
| | N/A | Blank Votes | 189,556 | 26.4 |
| | N/A | Over Votes | 116 | 0.0 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 719,027 | 100 |

## Notable national advocacy and recognition

Iwamoto was recognized as a Champion of Change by President Barack Obama.
Iwamoto publicly opposed passage of California's Proposition 8, outlawing same-sex marriages in California. She has stated that Proposition 8 reminds her of her mother's internment during World War II and believes the proposition is a violation of essential civil rights, stating, "The country has acknowledged that [internment] as a mistake, to just go with populous fear to oppress a specific group. I think we're going to look back at this kind of oppression as a mistake."
In 2021, Iwamoto joined with local advocates known as the Wai Ola alliance as a plaintiff in a suit against the United States Navy to stop its plan to double line its underground fuel tanks at Red Hill.
In September 2024, Iwamoto and nine others were arrested and cited for alleged obstruction at a protest at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children during a management lockout of unionized nurses. The charges were later dismissed.