On December 3, 2018, Governor David Ige and running mate Lieutenant Governor Josh Green were sworn into office at the Hawaii State Capitol. This marks Governor Ige’s second term in office; he was initially sworn in as the 8th Governor of Hawaii on December 1, 2014.

The ceremony consisted of opening musical performances from the Royal Hawaiian Band and The Kamehameha Schools Children’s Chorus. In addition, a traditional 10-cannon salute by the Hawaii National Guard was fired to commemorate Governor Ige’s special day. Accompanying Governor Ige was his wife, First Lady Dawn Amano-Ige and his three children, Lauren, Amy, and Matt.

Running mate Dr. Josh Green was formerly a state senator from Hawaii and he was accompanied by his wife, Jaime, and children Maia and Sam. Amongst both families were a few of former Governors, such as George Ariyoshi, Linda Lingo, and Neil Abercrombie. Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald administered the oaths of office.

In Governor Ige’s opening address, he shines light upon the fact that he wants to build a better Hawaii for the future generations. In order to make Hawaii better, Governor Ige plans on making improvements to our schools and our homeless problems.

“That’s the opportunity and that’s the challenge for all of us, really to create an economic environment here that can really foster innovation and business startups so that we can create careers here for the next generation.” So yes, for me, it’s personal, but I also know I speak for many parents in the community who have seen their children leave, and would want them back,” Ige said.