Kawika Crowley
| Personal details | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1952 (age 64–65) Japan |
| Political party | Republican |
| Website | www |
David "Kawika" Crowley, born in 1952, was the Hawaii Republican nominee for the United States House of Representatives, 2nd congressional district in November 2012. 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.
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 describes himself as a "college dropout with a degree in common sense."
Crowley ran for Mayor of the Big Island of Hawaii in 1991. In 2012, Crowley defeated Matthew DiGeronimo to win the Republican 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, 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 is known as "the smoking guy" for his lobbying to repeal Hawaii's ban on indoor smoking in stand alone bars, and is never seen without a cigar. He is opposed to the Honolulu Rail Project and to same-sex marriage. He is a supporter of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement, although he has no Hawaiian ancestry.
Divorced with three children, Crowley lived for a number of years as a single parent. He is a handyman and painter who lives out of his car. He earns about $15,000 a year, putting him in the ranks of the "working homeless".
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