Hawaii RNC members pay their way to represent state: ‘It’s not a cheap hobby’
Hawaii’s Republican National Committee members routinely pay thousands of dollars out of pocket and use personal vacation time to attend RNC meetings on the mainland, because their delegation generally does not receive travel funding. At the RNC winter meeting in Santa Barbara, several committee members said trips can cost roughly $2,000 each for flights, hotels, food, and incidentals, and stressed that the role is entirely voluntary. Members like Shirlene Ostrov and Laura Nakanelua described the financial and time burdens but said showing up is important to ensure Hawaii’s voice is heard, maintain relationships with national leaders, and secure resources. Committeeman Scott Smart called the work a “labor of love” and said in-person participation helps counter the state’s isolation and keeps local party members informed about national plans. The RNC’s push toward a national midterm convention may increase those time and expense demands,though active engagement on committees has sometimes brought tangible support to Hawaii’s party operations. Some offers to help with costs have been made, but leaders expressed reluctance to accept outside assistance.
Hawaii RNC members pay their way to represent state: ‘It’s not a cheap hobby’
SANTA BARBARA, California — Hawaii’s Republican National Committee members pay thousands of dollars out of pocket, burn vacation days, and still show up to winter meetings to prove their loyalty to the party and the president.
Unlike some states that receive funding, Hawaii’s RNC delegation must cover the cost of quarterly trips to the mainland to get face time with RNC officials and keep its state’s issues top of mind.
At this week’s RNC winter meeting in Santa Barbara, Hawaii’s chairperson, alongside multiple committee members, spent close to $2,000 each on plane tickets, hotel stays, food, transportation, and incidentals.
“It is not a cheap hobby,” Hawaii committeewoman Shirlene Ostrov told the Washington Examiner, adding that “people forget that this is 100% volunteer. You’re all on your own with the cost.”
While a handful of state party chairmen and chairwomen do have their travel paid for, Hawaii is not among them. Typically, there are at least three meetings per year. This year, the RNC is moving forward with plans for a national convention ahead of the midterm elections, which will likely add even more zeroes to the final cost for Aloha State committee members.
“I was properly informed that if I wanted to serve as committeewoman, it would be something that I paid for myself, and I had to be prepared,” Laura Nakanelua told the Washington Examiner. “It wasn’t going to be cheap. And I’m not a wealthy person, per se, but I was a working person, and so my husband and I talked about it and realized in advance the cost that it would incur.”
Not only does she travel on her own dime, but Nakanelua also uses up her vacation days at work to attend RNC events.
“I had to really balance those leave days as well, getting permission from the company, making sure that I cleared the decks before I came here for a full four or five days to get that work done,” she added.
Committeeman Scott Smart, a veteran who came to Santa Barbara with his wife, told the Washington Examiner that it was worth it.
“It’s part of what we can give back to the party,” Smart said. “Not everyone has the resources or the time because, you know, flying back and forth is time-consuming as well.”
Smart agreed it is a labor of love.
“It’s a way to make sure that Hawaii is represented nationally because otherwise, you know, sometimes we feel we’re isolated,” he said. “We’re different. No one cares about us. This way, we’re out in front of everybody else in the country and our leadership in the party, and that’s important to us. We can bring back what we do here, back to our folks at home, who don’t have the opportunity to make these kinds of trips, and let them know, ‘This is what the national party is doing. This is how they’re going to help us. Here’s what we’re going to do, you know, keeping in step with what’s going on nationally.”
Nakanelua said even though Hawaii isn’t a swing state, showing up to every meeting, working with leadership, and getting involved in committees helps the state in the long run.
“Our chair is on the Grassroots Committee, or soon to be, and engaging in those committees gets us the resources,” she said. “If you rattle cages and make the ask and state your case, we do get support from the RNC that has been monumental over the years.”
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A few years ago, the RNC gave the state arm a budget of up to $50,000 to “hold the state of Hawaii accountable for not having followed the laws of our state when it came to auditing the elections,” she said.
Nakanelua said some people have offered to help cover travel costs, but she’s not comfortable saying ‘yes,’ even though it would lessen the stress.
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