Hi! Thanks for having me :)

During a wash in our Kenmore a week or so ago, we noticed the lights on the dishwasher went out, and would not turn back on when we pushed any buttons. There was standing water about an inch or two from the floor of the dishwasher.

So I pulled out the unit and found that the GFI outlet had tripped.

When I hit the reset switch on the outlet at this point, I can start whatever sequence on the dishwasher, but it almost immediately trips the outlet again.

I'm able to drain the dishwasher manually through the drain line into a bowl to get a good bit of the water out, and after I do so I'm able to run a complete "drain cycle" without the outlet tripping. If I then try to run a wash cycle, though, a couple minutes in and the outlet trips again, leaving standing water in the bottom, rinse and repeat.

Anyone have any idea what might be the potential culprit? Any input appreciated :) Thanks!

p.s. I also removed the bits at the bottom around the chopper and made sure there were no blockages, it looked pretty clear.

Usually dishwashers are not connected to a GFI but it may depend on your local electrical code. It can be a pain to find the cause.

Try running the unit off a different outlet.
Could be a bad GFI.

Try to figure out what is turning on when the GFI trips.

Remove the kick plate and check underneath for any signs of a leak.
All it takes is a little dampness between electrical connectors to trip a GFI.
A flashlight and a mirror are helpful here.
The best mirror is the type mechanics use similar to a dentist's mirror just larger. A small mirror taped at an angle to a dowel will also do the job.

Disconnect the heating element to see if it still trips. Also check the heater's coating for any signs of damage (bubbling etc.) to it's coating.

Run a rinse only cycle to see if it still trips. On most units the heater and the detergent dispenser are not used during a rinse only.

Remove the door inner panel and check for dampness etc. at electrical connections.

GFI's will trip due to a high load but that is not usually what trips them.

It is current leakage to the earth ground (frame) of the unit.
They monitor the current going in (L1) and the current leaving (Neutral) if the two do not match within a few milliamps then the GFI trips.
Since there must be current going to earth ground.

Still could be the pump but that is a guess.