PDHblog
This is a place for members of Progressive Democrats of Hawai‘i to express their thoughts
and exasperations about political happenings. The opinions and views are not necessarily
those of PDH's steering committee or membership as a whole.

Election analysis
by John Bickel of ADA/HI & PDH

“All politics is local.” This quote from former Speak Tip O’Neill (who is in heaven celebrating the Pelosi victory) held true for Hawai‘i last night. The Democratic Party tried to run Randy Iwase against George Bush. The voters voted for Linda Lingle. The anti-Bush sentiment may have deterred some moderate Republicans from coming out to vote. Nationally the swing voters who usually split their votes swung Democrat for a change. Locally I am not sure. Democrat Jill Tokuda won a state Senate seat from Keoki Leong in a Republican district. Democrat Sharon Har defeated incumbent Mark Moses in a swing district. Democrat Angus McKelvey won the state House seat on Maui from a relatively Republican district. Democrat Tom Brower won a seat in Republican-leaning Waikiki against Lingle appointee Ann Stevens. Lest the Democrats feel smug, the Republicans won a state Senate seat and a few House seats in Democratic districts. Gabbard beat Yamamoto in moderately Democratic Makakilo-Kapolei. Awana unseated incumbent Democrat Michael Kahikina who had beat Neighborhood Board chair Rezentes in the primary. Republican Corinne Ching beat Sesnita Moepono. Although Ching has been the incumbent, economically the district should be Democratic. Republicans also held seats in Republican districts with good Democratic challengers: Gene Ward over AJ Halagao, Barbara Marumoto over Mike Abe, and Lynn Finnegan over Jane Sugimura.

Not only was the election a mixed bag on the partisan win-loss score, it was a mixed bag as Progressives look to the majority caucuses. The Senate and House majority caucus choose the leadership and make key decisions. In the Senate, strongly pro-labor Brian Kanno is gone. The new addition to the caucus will be a more conservative Jill Tokuda. In the House many new faces are unknown to me: Hanohano, McKelvey, Bertram, Carroll, Sagum, and Har. Two new members are known to me as solidly progressive: Belatti and Rhoads. Of course we lost two progressives to retirement: Helene Hale and Brian Schatz.

As a progressive waking up to the final numbers this morning, the greatest joy for me was seeing that Kim Coco Iwamoto had defeated Terrance Tom for the Board of Ed.

So as we celebrate the change of power in the U.S. House and await the confirmation of victory in the U.S. Senate, we Progressives in Hawai‘i need to work a little harder. The next legislative session offers the opportunity to pass good laws on education, health care, transportation, clean elections, and the environment. Yet it will take work given the mixed bag in the legislature and the perception that Lingle has a mandate.