About House District 17 — Lāwaʻi to Kekaha & Niʻihau
House District 17 stretches across the west side of Kauaʻi — from Lāwaʻi and Kalāheo through the Hanapēpē and Port Allen corridor, west through ʻEleʻele and Waimea, all the way to Kekaha and the island's northwestern tip, and across the channel to the neighboring island of Niʻihau. The seat is held by incumbent Rep. Daynette (Dee) Morikawa, who has represented West Kauaʻi since 2009 and is seeking another term in 2026. She faces two challengers confirmed on the August primary ballot: Republican Misty Cluett (mistycluett.com) and Democrat Chad K. Schimmelfennig. Morikawa's tenure has been anchored in the House Finance and Agriculture committees, where she has worked to secure neighbor-island infrastructure appropriations and back agricultural land protection — longstanding priorities for a district where former plantation lands, diversified farming operations, and rural communities define the landscape. Key issues for the district include water rights and irrigation infrastructure serving remaining agricultural lands; support for small farms and diversified agriculture on former plantation acreage; workforce housing access for families in west-side communities; and the economic future of the Hanapēpē and Port Allen area.
Primary date: 2026-08-08
Party: Democratic · Backing: Establishment
Platform: HD17 (Lāwaʻi to Kekaha & Niʻihau, Kauaʻi) Democratic candidate; no campaign website or platform found as of May 2026.
- Chad K. Schimmelfennig filed as a Democratic candidate for STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DIST 17 in 2026 per the Hawaiʻi Office of Elections at elections.hawaii.gov.
- No campaign website was listed in the 2026 Office of Elections filing database at elections.hawaii.gov for this candidate as of May 2026.
- No policy positions or platform statements for this candidate were identified in Civil Beat archives (civilbeat.org) as of May 2026; the 2026 primary voter guide had not been published at that date (primary: August 8, 2026).
Editorial summary: No published campaign platform statements were identified for SCHIMMELFENNIG, Chad K. as of the May 2026 review. Voters should monitor civilbeat.org as the August 8, 2026 primary approaches.
Key issues: No published platform statements found, Housing affordability, Local infrastructure, Economic development, Community services
Profile last reviewed: 2026-06-03