Cam Cavasso | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from the 20th district | |
| In office January 1985 – January 1991 | |
| Preceded by | Mazie Hirono |
| Succeeded by | Jackie Young |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 14, 1950 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Tula Cavasso |
| Children | 5 |
| Education | University of Colorado, Boulder (BA) |
| Website | Official website |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1973-1978[1] |
| Rank |  Captain[1] |
Campbell "Cam" Cavasso (born October 14, 1950), is an American politician, businessman and perennial candidate. A Republican, Cavasso served three terms in the Hawaii House of Representatives from 1985 to 1991, and would later run for both chambers of the United States Congress in 2004, 2010, 2014, and 2018.
Born in San Francisco, Cavasso moved with his family to Oahu at a young age. He graduated from University of Colorado Boulder after serving in ROTC, and also spent five years in the United States Army, rising to the rank of captain. Cavasso entered politics in the 1980s, first winning election to the state House of Representatives from District 20 (encompassing parts of Oahu) in 1984. He won re-election twice, and served until 1991. After leaving the state legislature, Cavasso worked as a financial advisor and entrepreneur. He made a bid for the Republican nomination for Lieutenant Governor in 2002, but he placed third in the primary with just under 14 percent of the vote.
Cavasso has run for the United States Senate three times and the United States House of Representatives once. In 2004, he challenged seven-term Democratic senator Daniel Inouye, securing the Republican nomination but losing the general election with 21 percent of the vote. He again challenged Inouye in 2010, and received approximately 22 percent. Following Inouye's death in 2012, a special election was called in 2014 to determine who would serve out the last two years of his term. Cavasso again won the Republican nomination, and faced appointed Senator and former lieutenant governor Brian Schatz. Cavasso received almost 28 percent of the vote, improving on both his vote total and vote percentage from his two previous runs, but still lost to Schatz by over 40 points. He was the Republican nominee for Hawaii's 1st congressional district in 2018, winning by over 60 points in the August primary. In the general election, he received 23 percent of the vote against Democratic congressman Ed Case, marking his fourth consecutive general election defeat.
Cavasso is regarded as a social and fiscal conservative, known for his opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage. During his congressional runs, Cavasso praised the leadership of Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump, and was critical of President Barack Obama's policies, in particular the Affordable Care Act. He also supports repealing regulations which he regards as burdensome to business, and made the high cost of living in Hawaii a key issue in multiple campaigns.