[1] In 1990, Inouye ran in a special election to serve the remainder of the term of Bernard Akana, who died in office, as Mayor of Hawaii County.

[1][3] Inouye ran for the District 1 seat in the Hawaii Senate in 1998, challenging incumbent Democrat Malama Solomon.

That year, she received a primary challenge from Dwight Takamine, and chose instead to run for Mayor of Hawaii County.

Though she initially led her opponents in the opinion polls,[1] she finished third in the Democratic primary, behind eventual winner Billy Kenoi and Angel Pilago.

[6] In March 2014, Inouye announced she would challenge Solomon in the upcoming primary election to represent District 4.