Elijah Pierick

☆ Save On Wikipedia ↗
Elijah Pierick
Pierick speaking in 2023
Member of the Hawaii House of Representatives
from the 39th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
November 8, 2022
Preceded byLuella Costales
Personal details
BornElijah Isiah Pierick
(1994-11-28) November 28, 1994
Florida, U.S.
PartyRepublican
EducationPacific Rim Christian University
Liberty University (DMin)
WebsiteCampaign website
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Air Force Reserve

Elijah Isaiah Pierick (born November 28, 1994) is an American politician serving in the Hawaii House of Representatives for the 39th district encompassing Royal Kunia, Village Park, Honouliuli, and Hoopili. A member of the Republican Party, he won the seat in the 2022 election against Democratic nominee Corey Rosenlee, flipping the seat. He has served as House Minority Whip since January 2026.[1]

Early life and career

Pierick was born in Florida and raised in Ewa, Hawaii. He was homeschooled and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Pacific Rim Christian University. In 2022, Pierick earned an online Doctor of Ministry with a focus in pastoral counseling from Liberty University.[2]

In 2019, Pierick joined the United States Air Force Reserve as a chaplain candidate. He considered running for city councilmember or mayor before deciding to run for the Hawaii House of Representatives in 2022 after, according to himself, having "an encounter with God during a worship service at his local church."[2]

Political career

Pierick (furthest left) and other state legislators tour the United States Indo-Pacific Command in January 2023.

Hawaii House of Representatives

Campaigns

Pierick won the 39th district seat in the 2022 election with 52.4% of the vote against Democratic opponent Corey Rosenlee.[3] He flipped the open seat to Republicans after incumbent Democrat Ty Cullen resigned after being convicted of accepting bribes and appointed Democrat Luella Costales did not run for re-election.[4]

He defeated Rosenlee in a rematch in the 2024 election, with an automatic recount finding that Pierick had won by 20 votes.[5] Rosenlee sued Honolulu City Clerk Glenn Takahashi, alleging that errors in reviewing voter signatures affected the election. In January 2025, the Hawaii Supreme Court affirmed Pierick's 11-vote victory.[6]

Tenure

After taking office in November 2022, Pierick was appointed assistant minority floor leader.[7] In January 2026, Pierick was appointed minority whip and serves as a member of the Consumer Protection and Commerce, Housing, and Transportation committees.[1]

In March 2023, Pierick posted on social media questioning why ʻEwa Makai Middle School displayed a pride flag in its building after visiting the school. The video drew rebuke from fellow Republican and Hawaii Senate minority leader Kurt Fevella, who called on Pierick to apologize and to be voted out, further saying "Don't you ever disrespect my community, especially my young community. I take offense to that," on social media.[8] Kūhiō Lewis, CEO of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement and chair of the Prince Kūhiō Parade honoring Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole, notified Pierick that he was disinvited from the parade due to the comments.[9]

Also in March 2023, Pierick and Diamond Garcia were the sole votes against establishing an institute dedicated to restoration and healing at the University of Hawaii’s William S. Richardson School of Law; during the floor debate, Pierick said “My understanding is that this bill would promote critical race theory, which is basically racism against white people,” which drew visibly confused reactions from other state representatives and was rebutted by fellow Republican representative Kanani Souza.[10]

Pierick expressed support for Donald Trump's cuts to US foreign aid spending and federal spending in March 2025, stating "I think our U.S. citizens in our state are much more important to be focused on than people in every other country," continuing "Hawaii needs to grow up and not have a baby mentality of ‘We need more resources.’ We need to be more self sufficient."[11] He voted against the 2025 state budget in May 2025 for encouraging big government spending instead of private sector growth.[12]

A Honolulu Civil Beat analysis of the publication's Digital Democracy database tracking legislators' attendance found that Pierick was the second most absent legislator in the 2025 session, missing a total of 617 votes, which he acknowledged as being due to a business trip attending the national cabinet meeting of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel in California and on traffic from his home.[13]

In January 2025, the Hawaii House of Representatives passed a new social media policy requiring that members' accounts "not be used to disparage other members, other individuals, or political parties. This includes featuring other members, individuals, or political parties in a way that invites disparaging or threatening comments or reactions, even if the content is presented in a neutral manner." The new rule was created in response to a March 2024 Instagram post in which Pierick posted a video captioned "What are your thoughts?" of Democratic representative Jeanné Kapela saying "I want a lesbian for president. I want a person with AIDS for president, and I want a gay man for vice president." Kapela accused him of inciting hate as commenters criticized her.[14]

In March 2026, he was fined $275 by the Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission for failure to report expenditures and for violating the political advertisement disclaimer state law, having previously been fined $1,000 by the commission in 2025 for failing to report several contributions and expenditures.[15]

2026 Hawaii Senate campaign

Pierick is currently running for the 19th district of the Hawaii Senate against appointed Democrat Rachele Lamosao in the 2026 election.[15]

Electoral history

2022

Hawaii's 39th House District Republican primary election, 2022
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Elijah Pierick 853 60.07%
Republican Austin Maglinti 567 39.93%
Total votes 1,420 100%
Hawaii's 39th House District general election, 2022
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Elijah Pierick 3,793 55.11%
Democratic Corey Rosenlee 3,089 44.89%
Total votes 6,882 100%
Republican gain from Democratic

2024

Hawaii House of Representatives District 39 general election, 2024
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Elijah Pierick (incumbent) 4,712 47.1%
Democratic Corey Rosenlee 4,701 46.9%
Blank votes 587 5.9%
Over votes 13 0.1%
Total votes 9,426 100%
Republican hold

References

  1. "Hawaiʻi House of Representatives announces leadership for 2026 state legislative session". Big Island Now. January 25, 2026. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  2. Gordon, Bryson (October 12, 2023). "Hawaii state representative uses lessons learned from doctoral program in new role in public service". Liberty University. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  3. Osher, Wendy (November 8, 2022). "LIVE: 2022 Hawaii Election Results". Maui Now. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  4. Mizuo, Ashley (October 28, 2024). "These 3 House races could flip seats in the state Legislature". Hawaii Public Radio. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  5. Wiens, Richard (November 12, 2024). "GOP Lawmaker Was Well Behind Until In-Person Votes Pushed Him To Victory". Honolulu Civil Beat. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  6. Blair, Chad (January 10, 2025). "Hawaiʻi Supreme Court Finds Pierick Won House Race". Honolulu Civil Beat. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  7. Blair, Chad (November 14, 2022). "Lauren Cheape Matsumoto New Hawaii House Minority Leader". Honolulu Civil Beat. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  8. Cuba, Victoria (March 23, 2023). "Two GOP lawmakers get in heated online debate over LGBTQ+ flag at Ewa middle school". KITV. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  9. McAvoy, Audrey (March 24, 2023). "Parade disinvites Hawaii lawmaker after pride flag comments". The Hill. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  10. Angarone, Ben (March 21, 2023). "Hawaii's Republicans Don't Get Many Bills Passed, But They're Playing A Long Game". Honolulu Civil Beat. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  11. Nakaso, Dan; Sibilla, Talia (March 30, 2025). "Key Hawaii Republicans, voters mixed on Trump". Hawaii Tribune-Herald. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  12. Fukumoto, Beth (May 5, 2026). "Beth Fukumoto: How Solid Is Hawaiʻi GOP Support For Trump Policies?". Honolulu Civil Beat. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  13. Richard, Wiens; Leonard, Matthew (October 26, 2025). "Perfect Attendance To AWOL: Missed Votes At The Hawaiʻi Legislature". Honolulu Civil Beat. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  14. "The Sunshine Blog: Just Say No To Giving The State Power Over The Press". Honolulu Civil Beat. January 26, 2025. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  15. "The Sunshine Blog: Pay To Play Isn't Dead Yet But It Is Mortally Wounded". Honolulu Civil Beat. March 22, 2026. Retrieved June 28, 2026.