A larger than expected crowd of more than 300 likely senior citizen voters turned out Wednesday to mingle with more than 40 political candidates running in the Aug. 13 party primary elections.

Some of the encounters represented first-time greetings between candidates and would-be voters at the Lanakila Multi-Purpose Senior Center in Kalihi, Hawaii’s largest senior center. Others were overdue reunions.

“See those ladies in red,” state Rep. John Mizuno said. “They were in my mom’s dance troupe and I always look forward to seeing them. They’re kind of like family.”

Mizuno’s district borders the area that includes the senior center.

The last “candidate’s fair” was cancelled during the 2020 election cycle when the Lanakila senior center had to close because of COVID-19.

So there might have been some pent-up demand Wednesday when more than 100 more potential voters than expected showed up to see candidates such as former City Council Chair Ikaika Anderson, one of four running for lieutenant governor in the Aug. 13 Democratic primary.

Anderson had attended the fair in the past as a Council candidate and said it “allows for candidates to meet potentially hundreds of voters in an hour. There’s no way to do that in an hour going door to door.”

Voters such as Suzanne Yoon, 60, and her husband, Bokdong Yoon, 70, of Liliha, left with plenty of information about who they’ll consider voting for — along with plenty of face-to-face impressions that likely also will play a role in their decisions.

They recognized some of the candidates by name, but not all.

Talking with them directly “influences you by seeing what their basic character is like,” Suzanne Yoon said. “Some of them are long-winded and that’s OK because they’re fighting for their place.”

All four Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor appeared, including Sherry Menor-McNamara, head of the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii; House Finance Chair Sylvia Luke; and former mayoral candidate Keith Amemiya, who said the event was “great for kupuna to meet all the candidates in one place at one time.”

For candidates, the impressions they leave are especially important on “kupuna, who tend to vote in strong numbers,” Amemiya said.

Menor-McNamara called the fair important, particularly when every vote counts in a statewide race. “It’s very appreciated, especially for me as a first-time candidate,” she said.

Menor-McNamara called senior citizen voters “an important demographic who pay attention to the races.”

Wednesday’s opportunity was particularly critical for first-time candidate Margaret U. Lim, a Realtor running in her first race as the lone Republican seeking to represent the newly redistricted House District 27 seat, which includes Pacific Heights, Nuuanu and a portion of Makiki Heights.

Lim worked the room like, well, a politician — passing out flyers, introducing herself and emphasizing her Chinese-Filipino heritage as she went person to person.

Lim also embraced connections and said many of the senior citizens she met “know family and friends who live in my district. … I’m here to win.”

Her expected Democratic opponent in the Nov. 8 general election, Gary Gill, had a choice table located in the middle of the center, where many voters remembered Gill’s time representing the Liliha area on the City Council nearly 30 years ago.

Some had even voted for Gill’s dad, Tom Gill, who served in the Territorial House and then the state House after statehood in 1959. Tom Gill also represented Hawaii in Congress and served as lieutenant governor to Gov. John A. Burns.

Gary Gill on Wednesday greeted voters just steps away from the center’s stage, where he and his wife had renewed their wedding vows. “These are seniors, so they remember me and some of them remember my dad,” Gill said.

He called Wednesday’s event “a rare opportunity where the community is encouraged to engage.”

Perhaps no candidate was more popular than BJ Penn, a member of the Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Fame, who is running in the governor’s race as a Republican.

While other candidates walked through the center to engage voters, Penn’s table was constantly swarmed with senior citizens, including some who wanted selfies.

Forty BJ Penn ball caps were gone in minutes and Penn was swamped with requests for personalized autographed photos.

Especially for a first-time candidate, Penn said “this is an excellent event. It’s great to see all the aunties and uncles.”

Jane Morriera, 85, of Makiki, enjoyed free coffee and doughnuts, and later sat with her friends over a lunch of hot dogs and chips after meeting with the candidates.

Morriera has attended previous opportunities to meet political candidates at Lanakila, where she said the staff “always treat the kupuna real well.”