Hawaii US Senate: Hanabusa Holds Slight Lead Over Schatz

[RandySF]

U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa is leading U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz in the Democratic primary race to replace the late U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye.

Early election results released Saturday evening have Hanabusa up 49.4 percent to 47.2 percent for Schatz in what has been a tight and contentious race that has polarized Hawaii’s Democratic Party.

The first round of results includes most absentee and early walk-in ballots, according to elections officials.

The campaign between Schatz and Hanabusa started almost immediately after the death of U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye on Dec. 17, 2012.



http://www.civilbeat.com/2014/08/hawaii-us-senate-hanabusa-holds-slight-lead-over-schatz/

[msongs]

1. let's hope the republican wannabee hanabusa loses nt

[msongs]

2. and Mark Takai looks good over the repub masquerading as a dem Mercado Kim nt

[Ken Burch]

3. Abercrombie lost too. Looks like Hawaii Dems are swinging to the right, for some twisted reason.

What the hell would cause THAT?

[RandySF]

5. It's not too complicated.

The No. 1 rule of Hawaiian politics is: You wait your turn (which I personally don't agree with). It was Dan Inouye's dying wish that Hanabusa succeed him, and Abercrombie violated that rule because Inouye previously supported his primary opponent. Democratic primary voters are punishing Abercrombie and Schatz.

[Ken Burch]

6. But Abercrombie was in the House, not the Senate.

And he was governor when defeated, so what did THAT have to do with Inouye at all?

Or did you mean that Schatz violated the unwritten rule?

I'm an outsider to Hawaiian politics, so I'm apparently not quite following what you were saying there.

[RandySF]

7. Here's how it happened.

There was bad blood between Abercrombie because Inouye supported Abercrombie's primary opponent for governor. Many suspect that is why Abercrombie went against Inouye's wishes and appoineted Schatz instead.

[Ken Burch]

8. Oh, I get it.

One more question...the losers were Anglo, and the winners were Japanese-American-to what degree did ethnic politics drive this?

[RandySF]

10. 538 just did a great piece.

Explains it much better than I can.


http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/racial-voting-lines-in-hawaii-senate-primary-leave-pollsters-mostly-clueless/

[Ken Burch]

13. Good article, there.

Weird thing in this race...Hannamann, the candidate Inouye encouraged to challenge Abercrombie in the Dem primary in '10, is now running for the Hawaii Independent Party...what is THAT group about? Are they secessionists(we had a secessionist party up here in AK at one point)?

[Cha]

15. Well, Brian Schatz is much more progressive than Colleen Hanabusa.. she's like

a blue dog on steroids from what I've seen.

Brian is much more into the environment.

[AtomicKitten]

9. A dying wish doesn't supersede a governor's

right and responsibility to appoint a replacement. It was Abercrobie's prerogative to appoint whomever he saw fit for the position. Now it's his constituents' turn to weigh in.

[RandySF]

11. Legally yes, culturally no.

[AtomicKitten]

16. Doesn't it have more to do with ideology?

It seems to have more to do with right-leaning Dems versus progressive Dems, Hanabusa vs Schatz respectively. Clintons support Hanabusa, Obama endorsed Schatz.

[RandySF]

18. I really don't think people had ideology in mind.

Hawaii Dems tend to be traditional labor-oriented voters.

[octoberlib]

4. Takai won.

Hawaii state Rep. Mark Takai (D) has won the Democratic nomination for Rep. Colleen Hanabusa's (D-Hawaii) open House seat, making him the heavy favorite this November.

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The Associated Press has called the race for Takai, who was leading Hawaii state Senate President Donna Mercado Kim (D) by 45 percent to 27 percent.
Takai was outspent in the race by Kim, who had the backing of EMILY's List. But she faced questions about her past opposition to gay marriage, and the liberal group Vote Vets helped Takai, an Army veteran, in the race.

He'll face former Rep. Charles Djou (R-Hawaii) in the heavily Democratic district this fall.

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/house-races/214776-state-rep-wins-dem-nod-for-hanabusas-seat

[Cha]

12. Brian Schatz is much more Progressive than Colleen Hanabusa.. and he's

the one I voted for today. I hope he pulls it out!:candle"

[msongs]

14. open primary, repubs are allowed to vote the dems ballot nt

[conservaphobe]

17. Pulling for Schatz in this one. nt

[alp227]

19. right now Hanabusa is ahead by just ELEVEN votes per StarAdvertiser.com!

ELEVEN VOTES. Schatz still has hope...

[Cha]

20. Fingers crossed, alp.. so you know about Brian Schatz being way more progressive than Hanabusa?