As she makes a long shot bid for president, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) is facing a serious threat at home: a primary challenger who has raised more money and received more high-profile endorsements than she has.

Hawaii state Sen. Kaiali’i Kahele (D) launched his primary bid against Gabbard, who has represented the state’s 2nd Congressional District since 2013, in January.

He believed her absence from the district she is representing and her sometimes polarizing stances — Gabbard only belatedly and seemingly reluctantly supported an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, for example, and drew criticism earlier this year after she refused to condemn Syrian President Bashar al-Assad — would give him an opening.

“What I really think is important is that we have leaders that are decisive, have some resolve, and are not motivated one way or another to go where the political trade winds blow,” Kahele told HuffPost, alluding to Gabbard.

In the first two quarters of 2019, Kahele raised $399,000 in campaign contributions, more than quadruple Gabbard’s $83,000. Three former Hawaii governors have endorsed him. And there are signs of trouble for Gabbard: A recent Public Policy Polling survey found that a majority of District 2 constituents support her dropping out of the congressional race altogether. In the same poll, she led Kahele 48 to 26 in a head-to-head matchup, but the fact that 27% of voters in the district were undecided shows that he has a clear path to victory in next year’s primary.

“Constituents do not feel that local or national offices are responsive to their concerns, or available when they need them,” Kahele claimed. “My first and foremost concern is to make sure that the people of [our district] are well represented.”

‘Putting The Priorities Of Hawaii’s Residents First’

Kahele, who goes by a Kai, a nickname based on his first name, joined the state Senate in 2016 at age 42. A Hilo-based commercial pilot and Air National Guard lieutenant colonel, he hadn’t envisioned getting into politics so young. But “unfortunate circumstances presented an incredible opportunity,” he said.

In early 2016, Kahele’s father, the late state Sen. Gil Kahele, suffered a heart attack. Fighting for his life, Gil asked Kai for one thing: to take over his seat in the state’s first district. Kai agreed. Two days later, his father died.

Gov. David Ige appointed Kai to the state Senate in February 2016. He finished out his late father’s term, then ran two successful campaigns in 2016 and 2018, winning each with close to 90% of the vote.

Kahele believes he’d do a better job than Gabbard has serving Hawaii’s diverse 2nd Congressional District, which is made up of several islands — some big and booming, others small and rural. The district encompasses all of the Hawaiian islands except for the southern half of Oahu, where Honolulu has its own representative.