page_title: Charles Djou
section_title: Candidate for Mayor of Honolulu
hierarchical_section_title: Charles Djou / Candidate for Mayor of Honolulu
caption_attribution_description: English: Charles Djou
context_page_description: Charles Kong Djou is an American politician who served as the U.S. Representative for Hawaii's 1st congressional district in 2010–11. As a member of the Republican Party, Djou won his congressional seat in a May 2010 special election where the Democratic Party vote was split between several candidates, but was defeated in the general election in November after the Democratic primary provided a single opponent. Djou, who was previously in the Hawaii House of Representatives and the Honolulu City Council, was the first Thai American of any party and the first Chinese American Republican to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. In June 2016, Djou entered the race for Mayor of Honolulu, which he lost 48% to 52% to Democratic Party incumbent Kirk Caldwell. Djou left the Republican Party in March 2018. As of 2020, Djou is the last Republican to represent Hawaii in Congress.
context_section_description: Djou announced on June 7, 2016 that he was running for the nonpartisan office of Mayor of Honolulu against incumbent Mayor Kirk Caldwell, former Mayor Peter Carlisle, and at least ten others. In the nonpartisan race, Djou had already received the endorsement of former Governor Ben Cayetano, an anti-rail Democrat. On June 15, Djou announced that retired Federal Judge and former Chair of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, Walter Heen, would chair Djou's campaign, and City Council member Ann Kobayashi, also a Democrat, supported Djou for mayor. With no candidate receiving more than 50% of the vote on August 13, 2016, a decision between the top two candidates, Djou and Caldwell, would be made in the November 8, 2016 election.
  Caldwell defeated Djou, 52% to 48%. Though both candidates supported the municipal rail project, its cost overruns were an issue, as well as Caldwell's alleged interference with the Ethics Commission. Labor group support was split between the pair.
caption: June 15, 2016 press announcement with Judge Walter Heen, former Gov. Ben Cayetano, and Councilmember Ann Kobayashi.
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