Incumbent Riviere beats Hee for Senate seat representing North Shore, Windward areas

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Dozens of candidates were running for seats in the Hawaii Legislature in Saturday's primary election, with 10 districts contested and 17 unopposed.

Several open seats were up for grabs in the House and Senate, and candidates are running at a time when the state grapples with issues such as homelessness, high cost of living and continuous traffic woes.

Here are the results of some hotly-contested legislative races:

District 23:

In District 23, incumbent state Sen. Gil Riviere defeated former state Sen. Clayton Hee, who was trying to win his seat back.

After a third printout, Riviere was well ahead of Hee, securing nearly 63 percent of votes.

Hee had announced his decision to run after withdrawing as a candidate for governor, saying he couldn't outspend the other candidates.

Riviere, the incumbent, served in the state House from 2010 to 2012 and was then elected to the Senate.

District 23 covers parts of Windward Oahu, Central Oahu and the North Shore.

District 24:

Two-term state Rep. Jarrett Keohokalole won the seat for District 24.

The third printout showed Keohokalole ahead of challenger, 12-term state Rep. Ken Ito, with nearly 57 percent of votes.

The seat was held by state Sen. Jill Tokuda, who was running for lieutenant governor. But the opportunity to serve the district attracted the two seasoned lawmakers.

District 24 covers Kailua and Kaneohe.

Both District 23 and 24 are winner-take-all races, meaning the candidate is automatically elected Saturday.

This story will be updated.

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