"HCAN Speaks! 2020 endorsements include incumbents like Sen. Stanley Chang and Rep. Amy Perruso but also a slate of up-and-coming candidates like Jeanne Kapela, Adrian Tam, Ernesto “Sonny” Ganaden and Kim Coco Iwamoto, many of whom are running for office for the first or second time."

Read more in Honolulu Civil Beat:

There is a diverse roster of candidates running in the Aug. 8 primary who have embraced education as a platform and won key endorsements from groups like Hawaii Children’s Action Network Speaks! and HSTA. They include public school teachers, lawyers, community advocates, business owners and activists.

“All the folks we endorsed were strong on child and family issues across the board and in a more holistic way,” said Zysman. “People who had thoughtful ideas around, hey, we should have universal preschool, how will we finance that, how will we fund that? People who had more depth on implementing things.”