News Release from Hawaii Republican Party

The final days are finally here and the last full week of election season saw Senator David Ige come under increasing scrutiny for supporting tax hikes while his misleading attacks on Duke Aiona continued to fall apart.

As the remaining voters head to the polls on Election Day, it is increasingly clear to all that Senator Ige would be four more years of the same failed policies and Duke would bring real change and innovative solutions to Hawaii.

IN THE NEWS...

Duke Outlined His Plan To Fix The Struggling State Hospital System After Years Of Neglect From Senator Ige And His Colleagues (Honolulu Star Advertiser). "The critical state of the public hospitals system is a problem that our Legislature has refused to address for many years, putting public health care employees and the people they care for at risk of losing it all. Our hospital system is broken and broke, and our aging facilities are rundown. How can we as a community continue down this path? We can't. At the risk of oversimplifying it, all it really requires is bold leadership and courage, which our state has clearly been lacking." (10/26)

The New York Times Says The Democrats Are "Not A Sure Thing" In Blue Hawaii This Year (New York Times). "Mr. Ige beat out the governor with his low-key style, holding coffee hours around the state. He has the support of Hawaii’s two most powerful labor unions, opposes a proposal to put public money into private preschools, and plans to push development of the local tech industry. But a Democratic victory is not a sure thing, even in this traditionally blue state. It is not clear whether Mr. Abercrombie’s defeat will help or hurt Mr. Ige. At issue: the state’s troubled health exchange, rising homelessness and questions about how to balance tourism — the state’s economic engine — and sustainability."

The Editor-In-Chief Of Pacific Business News Felt Compelled To Push Back Against The Democrats' Lies About Duke (Pacific Business News). "This text is stunningly dishonest. Before I explain how, two points: 1) Public education is not PBN's usual thing, but I spent much of my 19 years in local media prior to PBN covering the Hawaii State Department of Education so I feel compelled to jump in. I may regret doing so, because I don't intend to make this a regular topic, but there it is. 2) PBN does not endorse candidates. I couldn't say if either Duke Aiona or David Ige would be good for our schools. You can decide that for yourself." (10/28)

Senator Ige Refused Three Times To Answer Questions About Breaking His Promise Not To Raise Taxes (Civil Beat). "Ige has since acknowledged the action and and Civil Beat obtained a copy of his signed pledge from Norquist’s organization, Americans for Tax Reform. The signature is dated Jan. 24, 2003 and witnessed by someone with awful penmanship. We also know he broke it.  In the 11 years since taking the pledge, he’s voted to raise taxes numerous times. In 2011, he voted to raise the fees for rental cars, vehicle registration fees, and vehicle weight taxes, among others... But we had a more important question: Why would Ige take the pledge in the first place? It wasn’t a campaign issue; he ran unopposed.  Plus, he didn’t sign until after he took office.  It wasn’t demanded by his party; he is, after all, a Democrat, and a legislator for 18 years prior.  To our knowledge, nobody was demanding his signature in the first place. His campaign has been asked to explain why he signed, explicitly, in three emails, and has not responded." (10/31)

Campaign Finance Reports Added To The Notion That Ige Would Continue The Same Policies Of The Last Four Years (Honolulu Star Advertiser). "Republicans have sought to link Ige with the unpopular Abercrombie, so the overlap in campaign donors between the two Democrats could help cement that connection. 'If a voter is looking for something different and something new, they're not going to get that in David Ige,' said Blake Parsons, executive director of the Hawaii Republican Party. 'It's the same exact people. The same players who are behind Abercrombie are behind Ige as well.' Republicans hope to break through to voters who usually lean toward Democrats by emphasizing issues such as the state's high cost of living and the lack of economic opportunities that cause many people, particularly young people, to leave the state. 'At the end of the day, what are people most concerned about? What are the majority of people most concerned about?' Parsons said. 'They're concerned about cost of living and are they going to be able to put gas in their car and are they going to be able to provide for their family.'" (10/31)