The Governor of Hawaii is the chief executive of the state of Hawaii and its various agencies and departments, as provided in the Hawaii State Constitution Article V, Sections 1 through 6. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state. The governor is responsible for enforcing laws passed by the Hawaii State Legislature and upholding rulings of the Hawaii State Judiciary. The role includes being commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Hawaii and having the power to use those forces to execute laws, suppress insurrection and violence and repel invasion. The Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii becomes acting governor upon the governor's absence from the state or disability from discharging duties. Historically, the Governor of Hawaii has been from either the Democratic Party of Hawaii or Hawaii Republican Party.

The current Governor of Hawaii is Democrat Neil Abercrombie, who assumed the position on December 6, 2010.

The Governor of Hawaii is limited to two four-year terms. Inauguration takes place on the first Monday in December following a gubernatorial election. A single term ends at noon four years later. There is no lifetime limit on the number of times he or she may be elected, but a governor who has been elected to two consecutive terms must be out of office for at least one election cycle before being eligible once again for re-election. A Governor is:

Coordinates: 21°18′41″N 157°47′47″W / 21.31139°N 157.79639°W / 21.31139; -157.79639

Hawaii (ⁱ/həˈwaɪ.iː/ or /həˈwaɪʔiː/; Hawaiian: Hawaiʻi Hawaiian pronunciation: [hɐˈvɐiʔi]) is the most recent of the 50 U.S. states (August 21, 1959), and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean.

Hawaii’s diverse natural scenery, warm tropical climate, abundance of public beaches and oceanic surrounding, and active volcanoes make it a popular destination for tourists, surfers, biologists, and volcanologists alike. Due to its mid-Pacific location, Hawaii has many North American and Asian influences along with its own vibrant native culture. Hawaii has over a million permanent residents along with many visitors and U.S. military personnel. Its capital is Honolulu on the island of Oʻahu.

The state encompasses nearly the entire volcanic Hawaiian Island chain, which comprises hundreds of islands spread over 1,500 miles (2,400 km). At the southeastern end of the archipelago, the eight "main islands" are (from the northwest to southeast) Niʻihau, Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, Maui, and the island of Hawaiʻi. The last is by far the largest and is often called "The Big Island" to avoid confusion with the state as a whole. The archipelago is physiographically and ethnologically part of the Polynesian subregion of Oceania.

Linda Lingle (born Linda Cutter; June 4, 1953) is a candidate for the United States Senate vying for an open seat vacated by retiring U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka. She was the sixth Governor of Hawaii from 2002 until 2010, and the first Republican elected governor of Hawaii since the departure of William F. Quinn in 1962. Lingle was also the first female governor of Hawaii; first Jewish governor of Hawaii; first county mayor elected governor of Hawaii; and the first governor of Hawaii not to have any children. Prior to her gubernatorial administration, Lingle served as Maui County mayor, council member, and chair of the Hawaii Republican Party.

During the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City, Lingle served as chairwoman of the convention during the absence of permanent chairman Dennis Hastert from the convention floor.

Born Linda Cutter in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1953, Lingle moved with her family to Southern California when she was 12. She graduated from Birmingham High School in Lake Balboa, California (at that time, part of Van Nuys), then received her bachelor's degree in journalism cum laude from California State University, Northridge, in 1975.

Brian Emanuel Schatz (born October 20, 1972) is an American politician who is the 11th and current Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii. He served in the Hawaii House of Representatives from 1998 to 2006, where he represented the 25th legislative district, and was Chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawaii from 2008 to 2010.

Schatz was elected Lieutenant Governor in the 2010 Hawaii gubernatorial election as the running mate of Neil Abercrombie, following work as Chief Executive Officer of Helping Hands Hawaii, an Oahu nonprofit social service agency.

Brian Schatz grew up in Hawaii, attending Punahou School there followed by a B.A. in Philosophy from Pomona College in Claremont, California. While at Pomona, Schatz also spent a term studying in Kenya as part of the International Training Program, where Schatz developed skills as a public servant.

After returning to Hawaii, Schatz taught at Punahou School before moving into the non-profit sector.

Brian Schatz is married to Linda Kwok Kai Yun Schatz and has a son Tyler and a daughter Mia.

Neil A. Abercrombie (born June 26, 1938) is an American politician and is the seventh Governor of Hawaii. Previously he was the Democratic U.S. Representative of the First Congressional District of Hawaii, which comprises urban Honolulu. He served in Congress from 1986 to 1987 and from 1991 to 2010, when he resigned to successfully run for governor. He was also a state legislator and member of the Honolulu City Council.

Abercrombie was born in Buffalo, New York, the son of Vera June (née Grader) and George Donald Abercrombie. His ancestry includes English, Irish, and German. Upon graduating from Williamsville High School (now Williamsville South High School), he went on to pursue studies in sociology at Union College in Schenectady, New York. There, Abercrombie obtained his bachelor's degree in 1959. He arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii, a month after statehood in September 1959 to study at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa where he earned a master's degree in sociology and later a doctorate in American Studies. There he attended classes with, and befriended, current United States President Barack Obama's parents, Ann Dunham and Barack Obama, Sr.