Hawaii House candidate Kai Kahele endorsed by Brian Schatz as he's called up for duty to fight COVID

Hawaii Air National Guard Lt. Col. Kai Kahele

State Sen. Kai Kahele has had the race for Hawaii's open 2nd Congressional District largely to himself since mid-autumn, and he just secured some major endorsements that suggest things are likely to stay that way. Both Sen. Brian Schatz and Rep. Ed Case, along with several current and former leaders in the state Senate, have given their backing to Kahele, who only faces minor opposition in the Aug. 8 Democratic primary.

These announcements coincide with another important development: Kahele, an officer in the Hawaii Air National Guard, was just called up to active duty to help fight the coronavirus pandemic. The candidate filing deadline is not until June 2, so there's still a chance Kahele could draw a serious opponent, especially now that he’s been taken off the campaign trail. However, it's been almost six months six Rep. Tulsi Gabbard announced she wouldn't seek re-election and no notable contenders have taken even the smallest public steps toward a bid.

Kahele has also used his time as the only candidate in the race to amass a sizable war chest: His campaign says it raised $124,000 during the first quarter of the year and has $498,000 cash-on-hand, so anyone who were to get in now would likely face a sizable financial deficit.