Kahele, Kaialiʻi, 1974-

Kaialiʻi Kahele (born March 28, 1974) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he has served as the U.S. Representative for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district since 2021.

Born in Miloli'i, Hawai'i, he was raised in Hilo where he graduated from Hilo High School and attended Hawaiʻi Community College and the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo before earning a Bachelor of Science in education from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Kahele is a military and civilian pilot. He is a commissioned officer in the Hawaii Air National Guard, where he continues to serve as a Lieutenant Colonel with the 201st Air Mobility Operations Squadron at Hickam Air Force Base. He also flies as a civilian pilot for Hawaiian Airlines and has served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. Kahele was appointed to the 1st district of the Hawaii Senate on February 16, 2016, following the death of his father, Gil Kahele.

In January 2019, Kahele announced he would run for a seat in the House of Representatives from Hawaii's 2nd congressional district, challenging incumbent Democrat Tulsi Gabbard. Gabbard subsequently announced she would not run for another term. Kahele won the Democratic primary with over 75 percent of the vote and the general election with over 60 percent of the vote. In the 117th Congress, Kahele serves on two House committees, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Armed Services Committee. He is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus.