Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie is appointing his East Hawaii campaign chairman, Gil Kahele, to the state Senate.

Abercrombie on Tuesday chose Kahele, a 68-year-old Democrat, to represent Hilo and Naalehu to fill the vacancy left by Russell Kokubun, who Abercrombie appointed to lead the Department of Agriculture.

Kahele is a former chairman of the Hawaii County Police Commission, a former Marine and a retired employee of the Department of Defense.

Abercrombie says Kahele is a respected community leader who understands issues on both the Big Island and statewide.

Abercrombie chose Kahele from a list of three finalists submitted by the Hawaii County Democratic Party. Other candidates included businessman Russell Ruderman and database administrator Anthony Marz.