Bennette Misalucha


Bennette Espineli Misalucha is an American politician who served as a member of the Hawaii Senate for the 16th district from 2020 to 2022. She was appointed to the seat after incumbent Democrat Breene Harimoto died. She won a special election to fill the term in 2020, but lost re-nomination to Brandon Elefante in 2022.

Early life and education

Misalucha was born in Manila and raised in Davao City and Cebu in the Philippines; her mother, Avelina Espineli, was a school teacher and her father, Benjamin Robledo, was an insurance executive. She immigrated to Hawaii in the early 1980s.
Misalucha attended the University of the Philippines Cebu College, but dropped out during her senior year to work for DYCB-TV. She graduated from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa with a bachelor's degree in communications/journalism and graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Career

Misalucha previously worked as a broadcast journalist at KHON-TV and DYCB-TV from 1980 to 1984. She was the executive director of the Hawai’i Crop Improvement Association, vice president at Actus Lend Lease, and also a former senior vice president at Central Pacific Bank.
She is currently the executive director of the Hawaii Workforce Development Council.

Hawaii State Senate

Following incumbent Democratic state senator Breene Harimoto death from pancreatic cancer, governor David Ige appointed Misalucha to fill his term. She won a special election to fill the term in 2020 with 52.7% of the vote, defeating Republican candidate Kelly Puamailani Kitashima.
In 2022, Honolulu City Councilmember Brandon Elefante challenged Misalucha in the Democratic primary election. He defeated her in a landslide with 70.83% to her 29.17% of the vote.

Personal life

Misalucha has a daughter and son, Danielle and Christian Evangelista. She resides in ʻAiea, Hawaii.

Awards and honours