Duke Aiona

Duke Aiona
Aiona in 2009
11th Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii
In office
December 4, 2002 – December 6, 2010
GovernorLinda Lingle
Preceded byMazie Hirono
Succeeded byBrian Schatz
Personal details
Born
James Aiona

(1955-06-08) June 8, 1955 (age 69)
Pearl City, Territory of Hawaii
Political partyRepublican
SpouseVivian Welsh
Children4
EducationUniversity of the Pacific (BA)
University of Hawaii, Manoa (JD)
Signature

James R. "Duke" Aiona Jr. (born June 8, 1955) is an American politician and jurist who served as the eleventh lieutenant governor of Hawaii under Linda Lingle from 2002 to 2010. A member of the Republican Party, he also served both as an attorney and a judge for the state prior to becoming lieutenant governor.

Aiona was the Republican nominee for Governor of Hawaii in the 2010 election, but was defeated by Democrat Neil Abercrombie in the general election. He was the Republican nominee once again in the 2014 election, but lost to Democrat David Ige, since which he has done legal work and consulting. In June 2022, Aiona announced that he would run again for a third time in the Republican nomination for the 2022 election, which he lost to Democrat Josh Green, the incumbent Hawaii Lieutenant Governor.[1] As of 2023, he is the most recent Republican to serve as Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii.

  1. ^ Richardson, Mahealani (June 15, 2022). "'We lack a moral compass': Duke Aiona finally explains his decision to join the race for governor". Hawaii News Now. Retrieved February 21, 2023.