The 2006 Hawaii gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Linda Lingle was the first Republican to be elected governor of Hawaii since 1959. Although 2006 was a strong election year for Democrats, Lingle won re-election by a landslide owing to an economic rebound in the state that occurred during her tenure after a shaky decade for the state economy during the 1990s and early 2000s. As of 2025, this is the last time Republicans won a statewide election in Hawaii, as well as the only time in Hawaii history that a Republican governor was re-elected. Additionally, this alongside 1972 United States presidential election were the only two times Republicans won the state with more than 60% of the vote.
Republican primary
Candidates
- Linda Lingle, incumbent governor
- George L. Berish, fellow of the Society of Actuaries
- Paul Manner, freelance news correspondent
- George G. Peabody, editor of the Molokai Advertiser-News
Results
Democratic primary
Candidate
- Randy Iwase, former state senator and former Honolulu city councilor
- William Aila, Wai'anae harbormaster
- Van Tanabe, former telecommunications executive
Results
Green Party
- James Brewer Jr. - full-time political-economic educator and advocate for Hawaii's employee families
Libertarian Party
- Ozell Daniel, comedian
General election
Predictions
Results
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Kauai (largest community: Kapa'a)
References
External links
External
Official Campaign Websites (Archived)
- Linda Lingle
- Randy Iwase
- William Aila Jr.
Official government and party websites
- Office of the Governor
- Hawaii Democrats
- Hawaii Republicans
- Green Party of Hawaii
- Libertarian Party of Hawaii
Internal
- U.S. gubernatorial elections, 2006
- State of Hawaii
- Governors of Hawaii
- Democratic Party of Hawaii
- Hawaii Republican Party
- Green Party of Hawaii
