By all accounts, Ron Agor is an upstanding member of the Kaua‘i community. He has dedicated himself to establishing the island’s first homeless center, working at the Kaua‘i Food Bank and developing the Calvary Church facilities in Kapa‘a. He is
By all accounts, Ron Agor is an upstanding member of the Kaua‘i community. He has dedicated himself to establishing the island’s first homeless center, working at the Kaua‘i Food Bank and developing the Calvary Church facilities in Kapa‘a. He is also a family man, with two grown children, two grandchildren and a marriage to his wife, Anne, that is 36 years strong.
Yet one thing makes him both an anomaly — and a pariah — in Kaua‘i politics: he is a Republican.
And in a race that could best be described as anomalous, Agor will face former Republican and one-time protégé James Tokioka in the state House of Representatives District 15 seat election on Sept. 23.
For years, Agor, formerly the chairman of the Kaua‘i Republican Party, had groomed Tokioka to run for the seat, which represents Lihu‘e and Koloa and has been held by retiring Democrat Ezra Kanoho for the past 20 years.
But in January, Tokioka announced that he would switch parties and run for Kanoho’s seat — with Kanoho’s endorsement — as a Democrat.
“As I got involved more in the (Democratic) Party on the local and state level, I felt more aligned with the party because of the issues the party stands for,” Tokioka said.
Agor feels, however, that Tokioka’s decision was motivated by more than ideology.
“His leaving the party was a surprise to me,” Agor said. “I think he’s running (as a Democrat) for both political and ideological reasons.”
Agor added that he was disappointed by Kanoho’s decision to endorse Tokioka.
“Some of the voters who are Democrats are disappointed that a leader chose a successor without consulting the rest of his constituents. Just the fact that (Kanoho) endorsed a person who was a Republican for the last 10 years has hurt a lot of people.”
Even with the election of Linda Lingle as governor in 2002, Republicans remain rare in Hawai‘i, and Kaua‘i is no different.
Less than 1,300 Kaua‘i voters are registered Republicans.
And the only thing more unusual than a Republican voter on Kaua‘i is a Republican politician. Mayor Bryan Baptiste is the only non-Democratic elected official on the island.
Agor believes he can overcome this partisan disadvantage by focusing on an untapped political resource: Kaua‘i’s youth.
“I think it’s really important that the young people of Kaua‘i pay attention to politics for the sake of their future,” Agor said. “There are less than 300 registered voters who are 19 years old or younger.”
Agor’s decision to focus on young voters is reflected in his choice for campaign manager, 25-year-old Nat Childs, who previously worked for Kaua‘i state Sen. Gary Hooser, D-Kaua‘i-Ni‘ihau.
“I found Nat to be very enlightened and aggressive,” Hooser said. “He also has the ability to capture the young voters.”
Although Agor acknowledges that defeating Tokioka will be difficult, he envisions a bright future for Kaua‘i’s Republicans who, like himself, want to put people first and party second.
“(This election) is an uphill battle, but every day I am encouraged by friends from both parties who have been lending their support because they know me,” he said. “People should come before a party.”
• Steven Stein, editorial intern, may be reached at 245-3681.
