Hawaii › Kauai County › Kauai County Mayor
2 candidates are tracked for Kauai County Mayor on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Mel Rapozo and Bernard Carvalho, Jr.. Candidate information follows official Kauai County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
Mel Rapozo (7,580 votes) and Bernard Carvalho, Jr. (5,720) advance to the November 3, 2026 general election, per the Hawaii Office of Elections' official August 8 primary results. Open seat: Mayor Derek Kawakami is term-limited and won the August 8 Democratic primary for lieutenant governor. Kauai's top two always advance; a primary majority does not elect outright.
Sitting Kauai County Council chair who has served 18 years on the council over two stints, per Kauai Now; before that a 13-year Kauai Police Department officer and 20-plus-year Hawaii Air National Guard member, per his campaign site.
2026 priorities
- Expand housing opportunities and improve infrastructure, per his campaign site
- Public safety and homelessness solutions combining compassion with accountability, per his campaign site
- Transparency, fiscal responsibility and measurable results, per his campaign site
Source: candidate campaign site, roster verified 2026-08-13.
Campaign site →
Sitting county councilmember and former Kauai mayor of 10 years, per Hawaii News Now and Kauai Now; endorsed by HGEA, per his campaign site.
2026 priorities
- Keeping Kauai families home, per Kauai Now
- Responsible management, per his campaign site
- Creating resilient communities, per his campaign site
Source: candidate campaign site, roster verified 2026-08-13.
Campaign site →
