Abercrombie takes early lead in Hawaii governor's race

[dkf]

Former U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie held a substantial lead over former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann in the Democratic primary for governor tonight, as voters appear to be eagerly embracing his call for change.

Abercrombie led Hannemann 59 percent to 38 percent after votes were counted at  9:23 p.m. The vote included much of the absentee results and some precinct votes from today.

Absentee voting by mail and at early walk-in sites  accounted for about 40 percent of voter turnout in the 2008 primary, so the early results provide a significant snapshot of the overall vote

Abercrombie has made his campaign about change and has portrayed Hannemann as the candidate of the status quo and the establishment. The former congressman has run as an insurgent against a former mayor who secured many of the most coveted endorsements from business and public and private-sector labor unions.

If the pattern holds through the rest of the night, the vote would be an emphatic rejection of Hannemann. Abercrombie was leading in all four counties. He had his biggest advantage on Oahu, where he was up a staggering 61 percent to 36 percent.

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