Pierick and Rosenlee battle for Waipahu House seat

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – One of the state legislature’s most conservative Republicans is facing a tough re-election battle.
The race between state Rep. Elijah Pierick and former union leader Corey Rosenlee pits two candidates on opposite sides of the political spectrum.
The 39th House district includes the western part of Waipahu, Hoopili, and all the way up past Kunia. It’s one of three districts Republicans took two years ago that Democrats want to take back.
Many were shocked last election when Rosenlee, former president of the Hawaii State Teachers Association and Campbell High School teacher, lost to the relatively unknown Pierick, a conservative Christian mental health counselor.
For the rematch, Pierick has a two-year record that Rosenlee is attacking.
“He’s considered by many to be the most extreme legislator in the building, and he has a record of being extreme,” Rosenlee said.
Pierick isn’t backing down.
“I’m so grateful to have the conservative framework of governance and to be advocating for what I believe to be a conservative district,” he said.
Pierick made headlines by protesting drag story times for kids and getting banned from the pride parade for complaining about rainbow flags at a middle school.
“We shouldn’t be focusing those tax dollars on sex change surgeries for children, but instead, we should be focusing on reading, writing, arithmetic, science and math,” Pierick said.
He also opposes any abortion after six weeks and proposed a bill to set that limit that didn’t get a hearing.
“The definition of life is a God-defined quality,” Pierick said.
The candidates are also on opposite polls over spending on schools.
Rosenlee has long argued schools are underfunded.
“I’ve always been a strong advocate for our keiki, and I want to make sure that we have programs like family leave, that we have great schools,” he said.
Pierick said schools have too many administrative positions and pay too much to executives but overall have enough money to improve.
“Other states outperform us with less money,” Pierick said. “So it’s not a money issue. It’s a staff issue, and it’s a how we’re spending the money issue.”
Pierick says he believes voters in the district share his conservatism.
“They go to work all day they come home, the government takes a big pie, or big slice of pie out of their income, and re delegates it to somebody who’s not trying hard, such as like a homeless person,” he said.
“I feel like once the community hears how extreme he is, they will not vote for him,” Rosenlee said.
The other two freshmen Republicans running for re-election are David Alcos facing John Clark III in Ewa Beach, and Diamond Garcia facing Anthony Makana Paris in Kapolei.
Republicans in these districts may get some indirect help from Donald Trump, because Republican turnout is expected to be higher than usual this year.
The fourth freshman House member elected in 2022 was Kanani Souza in Makakilo, who defeated a Republican opponent in the primary in August and is unopposed in the general election.
Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.