Amid rematch bid, Republican Sam Slom accuses incumbent of ‘socialist agenda’

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - Sam Slom, former Republican senator from East Honolulu, wants his longtime seat back.

And he’s coming out swinging, accusing the incumbent of having a “socialist agenda.”

Slom spent 20 years in the state Senate. As Republicans in the Legislature dwindled, he became the lone GOP voice in the body.

In 2016, during the historic election of Donald Trump, Slom lost his seat to Stanley Chang who traversed the district multiple times. Now, Slom is hoping for a re-match.

“I was ready to go to the old barnyard and all of that, but people kept telling me I can’t get in touch with my successor,” said Slom.

“He knows how to get elected. He doesn’t know how to serve,” he added.

But Chang disagrees.

"I make it a point to visit people's homes and ask what their concerns and their issues. I believe that's the level of service that our constituents deserve," said Chang.

Slom criticized Chang on his housing plan modeled after Singapore’s system, in which the state would build dense condominiums on state land near rail stations without taxpayer subsidies then sell each unit with a 99-year lease.

“He admittedly had a socialist agenda from the very beginning and before that,” Slom added.

Chang says a dramatic solution is necessary.

“We’ve designed our housing plan in a way as to meet several of the top pressing concerns in development from the community. One of them is it should be available to everybody,” said Chang.

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