Duke Aiona

Duke Aiona
11th Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii
In office December 4, 2002 – December 6, 2010
Governor	Linda Lingle
Preceded by	Mazie Hirono
Succeeded by	Brian Schatz
Personal details
Born	James Aiona (1955-06-08) June 8, 1955 (age 68) Pearl City, Territory of Hawaii
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Vivian Welsh
Children	4
Education	University of the Pacific (BA) University of Hawaii, Manoa (JD)
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James R. "Duke" Aiona Jr. (born June 8, 1955) is an American politician and jurist who served as the eleventh lieutenant governor of Hawaii under Linda Lingle from 2002 to 2010. A Republican, he also served both as an attorney and a judge for the state prior to becoming lieutenant governor.

Aiona was the Republican nominee for Governor of Hawaii in the 2010 election, but was defeated by Democrat Neil Abercrombie in the general election. He was the Republican nominee once again in the 2014 election, but lost to Democrat David Ige, since which he has done legal work and consulting. In June 2022, Aiona announced that he would run again for a third time in the Republican nomination for the 2022 election, which he lost to Democrat Josh Green, the incumbent Hawaii Lieutenant Governor. Aiona said he ran again due to "lack of a moral compass" and because basic issues have worsened without civility and transparency.^[1] As of 2023, he is the most recent Republican to serve as Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii.