Kaniela Ing

{{Infobox officeholder

| image = Kaniela Ing for Congress.png

| name=Kaniela Ing

| image name=

| state_house=Hawaii

| state=Hawaii

| district=11th

| term_start= November 7, 2012

| term_end= November 6, 2018

| preceded= George Fontaine

| succeeded= Tina Wildberger

| birth_date={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1988|12|24}}

| birth_place=Maui, Hawaii, U.S.

| death_date=

| death_place=

| spouse= Khara Jabola-Carolus

| children= 2

| alma_mater= University of Hawaii

| profession=American politician

| party=Democrat

| otherparty =Democratic Socialists of America

| website=[http://www.kanielaing.com www.kanielaing.com]

}}

Mark Kaniela Saito Ing (born December 24, 1988) is an American politician and community organizer who was a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from the 11th District, representing south Maui from November 7, 2012, until November 6, 2018. He unsuccessfully ran to represent Hawaii's 1st District in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2018 federal election.

Since January 2023, Ing has served as national director for the Green New Deal Network. Ing has also served as Climate Justice Director for People’s Action where he leads national campaigns to combat climate change. He serves on various coalitions including the United National Frontline Table, Climate Power Advisory Board, and the Hawai’i Community Bail Fund’s board of directors.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}

Early life

Ing was born and raised in Hawaii. Ing attended Kamehameha Schools Maui, Maui Community College, the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and American University in Washington D.C. Ing served as UH student-body president,{{Cite news|url=http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/Politics/May-2014/CNN-Calls-Hawaii-The-State-That-Doesnt-Vote-But-What-If-That-Changed/#.WwZm_O4vzX4|title=CNN Calls Hawaii 'The State That Doesn't Vote,' But What If That Changed?|access-date=2018-05-24|language=en}} as a neighborhood board member, and has worked in various capacities with Hawaii's business, government, and the non-profit sectors prior to assuming public office.

Ing's father died when Ing was a child.{{Cite news|url=http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/November-2013/Exclusive-Why-Rep-Kaniela-Ing-voted-for-the-Marriage-Equality-bill/|title=Exclusive: Why Rep. Kaniela Ing voted for the Marriage Equality bill|access-date=2018-05-24|language=en}} Ing worked as a harvester in the pineapple fields as a young teenager.{{cite web|url=http://www.kanielaing.com/about-kaniela|title=Re-elect Kaniela Ing 2016 - for Maui's future|publisher=|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170129014322/http://kanielaing.com/about-kaniela |archivedate=January 29, 2017}}

Hawaii State House of Representatives (2012–2018)

Ing was elected to serve the 11th House District (South Maui: Kihei, Wailea, Makena) as a first-time candidate in 2012. Ing won the Democratic primary election, and overtook three opponents, carrying 43% of the vote.{{cite web|url=http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/563846/2012-Election--11th-House---Ing-vs--Fontaine.html |title=2012 Election: 11th House - Ing vs. Fontaine - Mauinews.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Visitor's Information |publisher=The Maui News |date=2012-08-12 |accessdate=2013-02-20}} Ing then defeated Republican incumbent George Fontaine in the general election with 61% of the vote to the incumbent's 35%.{{cite web|url=http://www.mauinews.com/page//content.detail/id/566782/Winning-formula.html|title=Winning Formula|publisher=|accessdate=2 February 2018}}

Ing was re-elected in the 2014 primary and general elections. In 2016, Ing faced a Primary challenger, Deidre Tegarden, an aide to former Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie. Ing prevailed with 61% of the vote to his opponent's 34%.

= Marriage equality and LGBT rights=

In November 2013, then-Governor Neil Abercrombie convened a special election for the purpose of conducting public hearings to consider the adoption of a law that would legalize marriage for same-sex couples in Hawaii.{{cite news |title=Hawaiian governor calls for special session to legalize gay marriage |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-gaymarriage-hawaii/hawaiian-governor-calls-for-special-session-to-legalize-gay-marriage-idUSBRE98902N20130910 |newspaper=Reuters |accessdate=31 July 2018|date=2013-09-10 }} Ing supported the legislation, delivering a speech during the final floor vote in the House in which he spoke about how the murder of Matthew Shepard impacted him as a young man and led to his eventual recognition of the need for equal rights for LGBT Americans despite his Christian background.{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/11/hawaii-lawmaker-gay-rights-speech_n_4254645.html|title=Hawaii Rep. Kaniela Ing Gives Pro-Gay Rights Speech, Addresses 'Gay Lifestyle' Argument|first=JamesMichael|last=Nichols|date=11 November 2013|publisher=|accessdate=7 March 2018|via=Huff Post}}

= Same-day and automatic voter registration =

In 2013 and 2014, Ing introduced a bill to provide for a same-day voter registration law.{{cite web|url=http://mauinow.com/2014/04/30/hawaii-approves-same-day-voter-registration/|title=Maui Now: Hawaiʻi Approves Same-Day Voter Registration|publisher=|accessdate=7 March 2018}} With the support of Common Cause, the League of Women Voters, and Faith Action for Community Equity (FACE), the revised bill passed and was signed into law on July 1, 2014.{{cite web|url=http://www.commoncause.org/states/hawaii/press/hawaii-adopts-election-day.html|title=Hawaii adopts Election Day voter registration|website=Common Cause|accessdate=7 March 2018|date=July 2014}} The law has allowed voters to register and vote during a single visit at all early-polling places in Hawaii starting in 2016, and at all polling places on election day starting in 2018.{{cite web|url=http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/Politics/June-2014/Same-Day-Voter-Registration-Coming-to-Hawaii/#.WnXFrFT1Xos|title=Will Same-Day Voter Registration Law Fix Hawaii's Poor Voter Turnout?|date=30 June 2014 |publisher=|accessdate=7 March 2018}}

=Mark Zuckerberg's quiet title action=

In 2016, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg purchased 700 acres of beachfront land on the island of Kauai. Zuckerberg initiated quiet title and adverse possession lawsuits against a number of Native Hawaiian families who held "Kuleana" land rights within his 700-acre Kauai property. Ing called for mediation and community outreach and quipped that "in Hawaii... we don't initiate conversation by filing a lawsuit against our neighbors."{{Cite news|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-drops-lawsuits-that-would-compel-hawaiians-to-sell-their-land-2017-1|title=Mark Zuckerberg has dropped his lawsuits that would compel Hawaiians to sell their land|work=Business Insider|access-date=2018-05-24}} Ing argued that the legal mechanisms Zuckerberg attempted to use were predatory by nature as they have been used historically to "displace Native Hawaiians from their ancestral lands."{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-wednesday-edition-1.3951725/updated-mark-zuckerberg-buys-big-chunk-of-hawaii-builds-wall-and-angers-locals-1.3951726|title=Mark Zuckerberg buys big chunk of Hawaii, builds wall and angers locals|last1=CBC|date=|website=January 28, 2017|publisher=CBC|archive-url=|archive-date=|accessdate=March 17, 2017}} Zuckerberg ultimately dropped the lawsuits and offered an apology.{{cite news |title=Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg drops case to acquire Hawaiian land |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38780822 |accessdate=2 August 2018|date=2017-01-28 }}

= 2016 arrest =

In January 2016, Ing was cited for failure to produce proof of insurance for a vehicle he owned. On July 16, 2016, he failed to appear in court in this case and was subsequently arrested.{{Cite web | url=https://www.civilbeat.org/2016/07/rep-ing-arrested-on-maui/ |title = Rep. Ing Arrested on Maui|date = 2016-07-28}} A subsequent court date was scheduled.

= Campaign spending violations =

On June 20, 2018, the Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission approved a $15,422 administrative fine based on allegations that Ing filed 23 consecutive inaccurate reports during the period of May 2011 to December 2016.{{Cite news|url=http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/38473484/commission-approves-15k-fine-against-kaniela-ing-for-campaign-spending-violations|title=Congressional candidate gets hefty fine for campaign spending violations|last=Daysog|first=Rick|access-date=2018-07-21|language=en}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.mauinews.com/news/local-news/2018/05/ing-hit-with-31-campaign-spending-violations/|title=Ing hit with 31 campaign spending violations {{!}} News, Sports, Jobs - Maui News|website=www.mauinews.com|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-21}} In total, Ing was given notice of 31 campaign spending violations, with records showing his campaign accounts were used to pay rent to landlords and a credit card bill.

One commissioner sought to refer the matter to criminal prosecution, the other four commissioners disagreed and voted that the violations were not criminal and did not require prosecution,{{Cite web|url=https://www.civilbeat.org/2018/06/rep-kaniela-ing-fined-15000-for-campaign-spending-violations/|title=Rep. Kaniela Ing Fined $15,000 For Campaign Spending Violations|last=|first=|date=2018-06-21|website=Honolulu Civil Beat|language=en|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2018-07-22}} stating "there are not enough good politicians"{{cite web|url=http://hawaiipublicradio.org/post/conversation-friday-june-29th-2018|title=The Conversation: Friday, June 29th, 2018|first=Chris Vandercook, Catherine|last=Cruz|publisher=|accessdate=23 July 2018}} and that criminal prosecution would have been fatal to Ing's political career.{{cite web|url=http://www.staradvertiser.com/2018/06/20/breaking-news/rep-kaniela-ing-fined-more-than-15k-for-campaign-spending-violations/|title=Rep. Kaniela Ing fined more than $15K for campaign spending violations|date=20 June 2018|publisher=|accessdate=23 July 2018}}

On July 20, 2018, Ing fired his accountant after determining that his accountant had inadvertently filed the wrong version of his campaign finance report on July 15. The original report, which was quickly corrected on July 16, identified a $262,830 cash balance. The corrected report corrected the balance to $100,847.{{Cite news|url=http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/clip/14505966/embattled-congressional-candidate-fires-accountant-after-more-campaign-reporting-errors|title=Embattled congressional candidate fires accountant after more campaign reporting errors|access-date=2018-07-21|language=en}} The accountant confirmed his mistake in a subsequent release.

On August 28, 2023, Ing pled no contest to a criminal charge made by the Honolulu Prosecutor's office of failure to timely file a supplemental report with the Campaign Spending Commission.{{cite news |last1=Star-Advertiser Staff |title=Kaniela Ing pleads no contest to campaign spending criminal charge |url=https://www.staradvertiser.com/2023/08/28/breaking-news/ka |access-date=5 November 2023 |date=28 August 2023}}

Campaign for Hawaii's first congressional district

{{Main|United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii, 2018#District 1}}

In November 2017, Ing announced his intention to run for Hawaii's 1st congressional district, where incumbent Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa was retiring to challenge Governor David Ige in the Democratic primary for Governor of Hawaii. Ing's candidacy received widespread attention and support from the left, receiving the endorsement of the Democratic Socialists of America, Justice Democrats, Our Revolution, the Democratic nominee for New York's 14th congressional district Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, California Congressman Ro Khanna and Washington Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal.{{Cite web |url=https://kanielaing.com/endorsements |title=Endorsements - Vote Kaniela Ing for Congress |access-date=2018-08-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180812083111/https://kanielaing.com/endorsements |archive-date=2018-08-12 |url-status=dead }} He received attention for his campaign ads{{Cite news |url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/08/this-is-the-most-remarkable-political-ad-of-2018.html |title=This Is the Most Remarkable Political Ad of 2018 |last=Nwanevu |first=Osita |date=August 10, 2018 |work=Slate}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.thecut.com/2018/08/kaniela-ing-hawaii-congressional-candidate-chill-campaign-ad.html |title=Please Enjoy the Chillest Campaign Ad You've Ever Seen |last=Paiella |first=Gabriella |date=August 9, 2018 |work=New York}} and his pledge for universal housing.{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/07/19/rents-soar-democrats-push-new-policies-affordable-housing/ |title='Housing for All': Democrats push for big government response to soaring rents |last=Stein |first=Jeff |date=July 19, 2018 |newspaper=Washington Post}}

Ing finished fourth in the Democratic primary, won by former Congressman Ed Case. He drew 7,531 votes, or 6.3%.{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/elections/results/hawaii-house-district-1-primary-election |title=Hawaii Primary Election Results: First House District |date=August 11, 2018 |website=New York Times}}

Current work

In January 2023, Ing was announced as the first-ever national director for the Green New Deal Network. He was a founding member of the organization, which works to campaign for local Green New Deal policies and public support for climate justice.{{cite web |author1=The Green New Deal Network |title=Green New Deal Network Gears Up for 2023 With New Agenda and First-Ever National Director |url=https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/green-new-deal-network-gears-up-for-2023-with-new-agenda-and-first-ever-national-director |website=Common Dreams |access-date=5 November 2023 |date=4 January 2023}}

Ing also co-leads Our Hawaii Action, a progressive super PAC.{{cite news |last1=Kew |first1=Allan |title=This Hawaii Super PAC Says It's Raising Money For Wildfire Victims — And Political Candidates Too |url=https://www.civilbeat.org/2023/09/this-hawaii-super-pac-says-its-raising-money-for-wildfire-victims-and-political-candidates-too/ |access-date=5 November 2023 |work=Honolulu Civil Beat |date=18 September 2023}} In 2022, Our Hawaii Action raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in an unsuccessful effort to unseat U.S. Rep. Ed Case due to criticism of Case's perceived lack of support for climate legislation in President Biden’s Build Back Better Plan. In August 2023, Our Hawaii Action set up the Maui Community Power Recovery Fund to support victims of the 2023 Maui fires, but concerns were raised about donations potentially going to support political candidates.