AYNESSAZIAN, Tanya Yamanaka
Party: Democratic · Backing: Establishment
Platform: Democratic challenger for State Senate District 2 (Puna / East Kaʻū); author and community advocate prioritizing health access, kupuna care, and environmental stewardship.
- Filed as a Democratic candidate for STATE SENATOR, DIST 2 (Puna / East Kaʻū, Hawaiʻi Island) in 2026; campaign website is tanya4hawaii.com.
- Challenging incumbent Sen. Joy San Buenaventura, the current Senate Health and Human Services Committee Chair.
- Platform priority — Health, Healing & Well-Being: advocates for expanded access to medical care, complementary healing modalities, and wellness practices for all community members; specifically calls for expanded community health center funding and dedicated dementia care and respite services for family caregivers, citing rising dementia prevalence in the 55+ population as an unaddressed crisis. (Source: https://tanya4hawaii.com/priorities.html)
- Platform priority — Protect the Natural World: calls for water, land, food, and economic systems designed to be in harmony with nature for long-term sustainability; emphasizes a regenerative economy that serves people and ʻāina rather than corporate interests. (Source: https://tanya4hawaii.com/priorities.html)
Editorial summary: Tanya Yamanaka Aynessazian is a mother, grandmother, author, and 20+-year Hawaiʻi Island community advocate challenging for the District 2 State Senate seat. Her platform centers on community health access (expanded health centers, dementia care, kupuna support), environmental stewardship (land, water, food systems), and civic accountability. She was one of eight plaintiffs in Acasio v. House of Representatives.
Key issues: Community health access, Kupuna & dementia care, Environmental stewardship, Civic accountability, Regenerative economy
Website: https://tanya4hawaii.com
Profile last reviewed: 2026-06-10