Hawaii state senator Brenton Awa is making an unusual pitch in the race for the state's second congressional district: vote for a Republican who disagrees with most Republicans.

• Awa is challenging Democratic Congresswoman Jill Tokuda, who turned down an invitation to appear alongside him.
• He says he is not MAGA, wants the Epstein files released, opposes restrictions on abortion, criticizes how ICE operates, and opposes war because of what it costs.
• His argument is leverage: as a Republican vote the president might need, he could trade that vote to protect Native Hawaiian programs and Kamehameha Schools from conservative legal attacks.
• He says the R next to his name makes voters treat him as tainted, and that he would have won the primary outright as a Democrat.
• He points to his record in a state senate where Republicans are badly outnumbered as proof he can get things done without party backing.

Outlook: The general election is in November, and Awa's case rests on convincing deep-blue Hawaii that a Republican seat is worth more than a reliable Democratic one.