David P. "Kawika" Crowley (1952 – January 4, 2023) was a

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

an politician who was the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

nominee for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from Hawaii's 2nd congressional district in the November 2012 election. A colorful and offbeat candidate, he achieved notability as the "homeless handyman" running for Congress. He was the first homeless person in Hawaii and perhaps any state to be nominated for Congress on a major party ticket. In 2014, Crowley again won the Republican primary race for the 2nd Congressional district in a contested race.

Early years

By some accounts Crowley was born in Japan as the son of missionaries; by other accounts he was born in North Carolina and moved to Japan with his parents when he was six months old. He grew up speaking and reading Japanese. When he was in 8th grade, he moved to Hilo, Hawaii and learned for the first time to read English. Crowley spent his teenage years and much of his young adulthood in Hilo. He graduated from Hilo High School in 1969. He described himself as a "college dropout with a degree in common sense."

Political life

Crowley ran for Mayor of the Big Island of Hawaii in 1990. In 2012, Crowley defeated Matthew DiGeronimo to win the

nomination for Hawaii's 2nd Congressional district race. Crowley achieved 45% of the vote to his opponent's 29%. In the general election, Crowley was easily beaten by

Tulsi Gabbard Tulsi Gabbard (; born April 12, 1981) is an American politician, United States Army Reserve officer and political commentator who served as the U.S. representative for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district from 2013 to 2021. Gabbard was the fi ...

, who became the first Hindu Member of Congress. For six years, Crowley represented interests of the Hawaii Bar Owners Association, doing lobbyist work at the Hawaii State House. He was known as "the smoking guy" for his lobbying to repeal Hawaii's ban on indoor smoking in stand alone bars, and was never seen without a cigar. He was opposed to the Honolulu Rail Project and to

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...

. He was a supporter of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement, although he had no Hawaiian ancestry.

Electoral history

Personal life and death

Divorced with three children, Crowley lived as a single parent for several years. He was a handyman and painter living in his car. He earned about $15,000 a year, putting him among the working homeless. He claimed to be a co-writer of the song Hawaiʻi '78 and to have had a history in the

Hawaiian Music The music of Hawaii includes an array of traditional and popular styles, ranging from native Hawaiian folk music to modern rock and hip hop. Styles like slack-key guitar are well known worldwide, while Hawaiian-tinged music is a frequent part ...

industry. Crowley committed suicide by jumping off Pu’ueo Bridge in downtown Hilo, on January 4, 2023.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crowley, Kawika Hawaii Republicans Hawaii politicians of Japanese descent Living people Musicians from Hawaii 1952 births