Monday, October 14, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Wednesday, April 24, 2013
WaPo: "Another race-tinted showdown in Hawaii"
By Selected News Articles @ 12:27 PM :: 5669 Views :: Democratic Party, Politicians

Another race-tinted showdown in Hawaii

by Aaron Blake April 23, 2013, Washington Post (excerpts)

...The Hawaii Democratic Party has a long history of primaries split along racial lines, with contests often coming down to an Asian-American, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander candidate and a white one, referred to as ”haole” in Hawaiian. And if it wasn’t Hanabusa challenging Schatz, it was likely to be another Asian-American Democrat, because Asian candidates often win in a state that is just 26 percent white.

Over the last 20 years, there have been 10 major Democratic races that pitted a white candidate against an Asian-American one, including four out of six Honolulu mayor’s races and three out of six governor’s races.

At the Senate level, it hasn’t happened as often since the state had two longtime Democratic senators who were ensconced in their seats. But even Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) faced a tough primary in 2006 with Rep. Ed Case, who is white, and Akaka’s 2012 retirement paved the way for a matchup between Case and now-Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii).

The issue also cropped up in the 2010 special election for an open House seat. In that race, Case and Hanabusa split the Democratic vote enough to allow a Republican, Charles Djou, win the seat in a three-way race.

The nature of racial politics in the state means Hanabusa has a good chance of upending Schatz in a primary, according to Democrats with knowledge of the race.

“Very good,” said one national Democrat, granted anonymity to discuss the race candidly.

Of the 10 races mentioned above, Asian-American candidates have won seven of them. Two haole men have been elected mayor of Honolulu, while Gov. Neil Abercrombie is the first white Democrat to hold that job since the 1970s. The state has elected several white members of Congress — including Abercrombie and Case — but its senators and governors have been almost exclusively Asian-American....

“In contested Democratic primaries, Caucasian candidates can win as long as their ideology lines up with the growing progressive base of the Democratic Party who vote in primaries,” said a senior adviser to Schatz’s campaign.

read ... Race Tinted

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii Military History

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Together

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

July 4 in Hawaii

Land and Power in Hawaii

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii