This Saturday, August 11, voters in Hawaii will choose the Democratic nominees — and the likely eventual winners — in highly contested primary elections for governor and Congress. Hawaii is a solidly blue state and went to Hillary Clinton by more than 30 points in 2016. The victors of Saturday’s Democratic primaries are thus heavily favored to win in November’s general election. That makes the primaries the most competitive elections of the year, and with Hawaii’s long history of volatile and difficult-to-poll primaries, there could be some major surprises. The controversial Democratic Congress member for the Second District, Tulsi Gabbard, faces a number of challengers but enters the primary as a heavy favorite. There is also an open seat in the Hawaii First, with a competitive Democratic primary. US Sen. Mazie Hirono has no Democratic competition, but Republicans will have to choose a sacrificial lamb from a large field that includes a Lyndon LaRouche follower and a guy who lives in California. Polls close at 6 pm Hawaii time (9 pm Pacific, midnight Eastern). Vox will have live election results below, powered by Decision Desk. The heated Democratic primary for governor, briefly explained Incumbent Gov. David Ige, who unseated his predecessor Neil Abercrombie in the Democratic primary four years ago, faces stiff competition from Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, a veteran Hawaii politico who served 12 years in the state Senate (two as Senate president) and is now in her second stint representing the First Congressional District. Ige’s popularity has plummeted due to his handling of a false alarm sent to Hawaii residents in January telling them a ballistic missile was incoming (he said he would’ve alerted the public that it was a false alarm earlier but he forgot his Twitter password). The race has centered less on policy disputes than on the question of Ige’s and Hanabusa’s relative levels of competence. Hanabusa has had a series of tough losses in the 2010s. First, in 2010, when Abercrombie resigned from the First District seat in Congress to run for governor, Hanabusa ran in a special election to replace him. But Ed Case, a center-right Democrat who represented the Second District (covering some suburban parts of Oahu as well as every other Hawaiian island) from 2002 to 2007, ran too, positioning himself as a moderate Democrat to Hanabusa’s progressive. Case and Hanabusa split the vote, letting Charles Djou, a Republican, win. Hanabusa went on to beat Djou for the seat in the 2010 general election. In late 2012, shortly before long-time Sen. Daniel Inouye died, he requested that Abercrombie name Hanabusa as his successor. Abercrombie refused and gave the position to Brian Schatz, his lieutenant governor. Hanabusa, with the support of the Inouye family, challenged Schatz for the job in 2014, losing by a razor-thin margin. She gave up her House seat for that race but won it back in a 2016 special election when her successor, Mark Takai, died of pancreatic cancer. Now she’s abandoning her seat yet again to challenge Ige. The state’s Democratic power structure has split on the race, with Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, former Sen. Daniel Akaka, former Govs. Benjamin Cayetano and George Ariyoshi, and even Ige’s own former Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui (who resigned in frustration with Ige) backing Hanabusa. But some powerful unions like UNITE HERE (which represents many hotel workers in a state whose main industry is tourism) are still supporting Ige. The final poll before the election, by the Honolulu Civil Beat, found Ige ahead by 9 points; a few weeks earlier, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser had him ahead by 4. Mere months earlier, in the wake of the nuclear false alarm, Hanabusa led by as much as 20 points, but she lost ground as the incident faded from memory. Two contested Democratic primaries for the Hawaii First and Second districts Hanabusa is giving up her seat in Congress to run against Ige, and the Democratic contest to succeed her in the Hawaii First, which covers Honolulu’s urban center and some neighboring suburbs on the island of Oahu, is beyond crowded. The frontrunner in two recent polls is … Ed Case, the moderate Democrat who split the vote with Hanabusa back in 2010. He’s a frequent candidate, losing Senate primaries in both 2006 and 2012 after attracting little establishment support, but he has strong name recognition both from his prior stint in Congress and because of his membership in the prominent Case family (his cousin Steve is the billionaire founder of AOL). Case’s challengers are: Lt. Gov. Doug Chin, who succeeded Tsutsui as lieutenant governor earlier this year and served as state attorney general from 2015 until then. A veteran prosecutor and civil servant, he’s never held elected office before, and has faced strident criticism for a virulently anti-gay speech he delivered at his church in 1995 (he has since apologized and touted his actions supporting marriage equality as attorney general). State Sen. Donna Mercado Kim, who’s served in the legislature for nearly two decades, including two years as state Senate president; before that, she was a 14-year veteran of the Honolulu City Council. State Rep. Beth Fukumoto, who until 2017 was a Republican and House minority leader. She was expelled from that position and switched parties after participating in the Women’s March and condemning President Trump for “racist and sexist” remarks. She’s done a remarkable pivot in her issue positions, even now supporting single-payer health care. State Rep. Kaniela Ing, a self-described democratic socialist endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America, Our Revolution, and Justice Democrats, as well as national progressives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Shaun King, and Bill McKibben. He’s running on a platform including Medicare-for-all but also a unique public housing-based Housing for All plan. He has attracted considerable national attention but lagged in the polls, and faced criticism for using campaign funds to pay his rent. Honolulu City Councilor Ernie Martin. Gonna be honest, I don’t know a ton about Ernie, but here’s his website. In the Hawaii Second District’s Democratic primary, Tulsi Gabbard is a heavy favorite to be renominated. An Iraq War veteran, dedicated non-interventionist, and early endorser of Bernie Sanders’s presidential bid, Gabbard has attracted substantial national popularity but also criticism for her choice to meet with Syrian despot Bashar al-Assad in 2017; she has also refused to acknowledge that Assad is responsible for chemical weapons attacks against civilians. She has also endorsed blocking refugees from Syria and Iraq, supported Egyptian dictator Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and backed India’s far-right leader Narendra Modi. Gabbard’s enthusiasm for dictators was enough to help lead the Hawaii teachers union to endorse Sherry Campagna, Gabbard’s most prominent challenger. But Gabbard has refused to debate her opponents, preventing them from getting much traction, and is likely to win in a walk.<doc-sep>HONOLULU — Former congressman Ed Case emerged from a crowded field on Saturday to win the Democratic Party primary to represent Honolulu in Congress. The 65-year-old fiscal conservative defeated five other major candidates including Lt. Gov. Doug Chin, who was the architect of Hawaii's legal battle against President Donald Trump's travel ban. Case said his message that politicians in Washington need to work together resonated with voters. "I think voters want Washington to work again, that's the number one issue. Clearly that was my message and I think that accounts for much of the result of my race," Case said after he was declared the victor. Case served in Congress from 2002 to 2007, giving him an edge in experience and name recognition. He ran unsuccessfully for the Senate and House in the years since he left Congress, then retired from politics five years ago to become an executive for a Hawaii-based hotel chain. Case said he returned to politics because the government wasn't functioning and he believes he can help. He will face Cam Cavasso, a former state representative who previously ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate, in the general election. Cavasso won the GOP primary Saturday night. Case will have an enormous advantage in the general election, given the Democratic Party dominates politics in Hawaii. Case said it's humbling to know that he gained the trust and confidence of so many voters. He expressed admiration for his opponents in the primary, adding he would reach out to those who didn't vote for him and ask for their support in the general election. Other contenders were 29-year-old Kaniela Ing, a democratic socialist who hoped to follow in the footsteps of colleague Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York to score an upset victory. On Thursday, Ocasio-Cortez stumped for Ing in Honolulu. The candidates spanned the political spectrum of Hawaii's Democratic Party. Case represented the conservative end, expressing concern about the federal debt and deficits. He was a member of the Blue Dog Democrat caucus during his last stint in Congress. Ing stood for the progressive wing. Ing and fellow candidate Beth Fukumoto, a 35-year-old former Republican and outspoken Trump critic, frequently spoke about the punishingly high cost of living on the islands and the need for reforms to help young people afford to stay in the state. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 47 percent of Hawaii's residents spend more than a third of their monthly income on rent. That's greater than any other state. About one-quarter of renters put half of their income toward housing. The race attracted so many candidates because the incumbent, U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa decided to challenge Gov. David Ige in the gubernatorial primary instead of run for re-election. She lost to Ige. Sonia Lee-Gushi, who works in the health care industry and lives in Honolulu, said she thought Case deserved a second chance in Washington. She also disagreed with the candidates who focused on how they would oppose Trump. "I feel like they're just trying to get the vote of those who don't like Trump, which is not necessarily how we want to choose our leaders going forward," she said. The winner of the general election will join a four-person Congressional delegation in Washington, D.C. In Hawaii's other congressional district, U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a Democrat, easily won the party's nomination to represent rural Oahu and the neighboring islands. One of her challengers, Sherry Alu Campagna, criticized Gabbard for refusing to participate in debates even though she's argued in the past that candidates should debate to present their positions and be held accountable for their opinions. She'll face Brian Evans, who ran unopposed in the Republican primary.<doc-sep>Hawaii 1st Congressional district candidate Kaniela Ing is receiving national attention, especially after he became the first candidate to be endorsed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez after her historic primary victory over Rep. Joe Crowley in June. The 30-year-old state representative is proud member of the Democratic Socialists of America. But it's unclear if the outpouring of national support will help him win a six-way race in Hawaii's primary elections on Sunday. The day after she won her primary election, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted her support for Ing. "He is incredibly inspiring – another working class American who knocked on 15,000 doors to win his state assembly seat," she wrote. "Now he's running for Congress. Imagine what we could accomplish if we both went in tomorrow." America: Please send @KanielaIng to Congress with me! He is incredibly inspiring - another working class American who knocked on 15,000 doors to win his state assembly seat. Now he’s running for Congress. Imagine what we could accomplish if we both went in together. 💪🏽🗳 https://t.co/WSOrvl4to1 — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) June 28, 2018 Ocasio-Cortez is traveling to Hawaii on Thursday to campaign with Ing. It is easy to draw parallels between Ing's campaign and that of Ocasio-Cortez. A campaign ad for Ing released in July was produced by the same company that created Ocasio-Cortez's viral campaign video. He released another campaign spot on Wednesday which showed him strumming a ukulele while saying that "Hawaiian values" are Democratic Socialist values. "When we talk about policies like Medicare for All, universal health care, housing for all, public education through college, canceling student debt - these are just policies that would make everyday, working people's lives dignified," Ing said in the ad. "All this stuff is possible, we just cannot lose hope, and we've got to come out and vote." “What dreams would you pursue if your basic needs were met?” Our message is mainstream; it just makes sense. Hawaiian values are @DemSocialists values. pic.twitter.com/FyUaBodmcx — Kaniela Ing (@KanielaIng) August 8, 2018 While he may benefit from low voter turnout, which some believe Ocasio-Cortez did, he faces five primary opponents, unlike Ocasio-Cortez, who faced one. Ing is facing big names such as former Rep. Ed Case, current Lt. Gov. Doug Chin, and state Sen. Donna Mercado Kim in the race for the seat soon to be vacated by Rep. Colleen Hanabusa. Ed Case, current Lt. Gov. Doug Chin, and state Sen. Donna Mercado Kim. Case, a former member of the conservative Blue Dog Democrats caucus while in Congress, and has argued that the district is too conservative to accept some radical progressive policies. Chin, who is also the former state attorney general, and Kim both have strong establishment credentials as longtime figures in Hawaii politics. Further, Ing isn't the only progressive option for voters. State Rep. Beth Fukumoto, a Republican until the election of Mr. Trump inspired her to switch parties in 2017, supports abolishing U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and creating a single-payer health care system, like Ing. Ing trails behind Case, Chin, and Kim in a poll taken in mid-July. Despite Ocasico-Cortez's shot to stardom after her win, candidates endorsed by her have a mixed success rate this election cycle. Cori Bush lost her primary bid against Rep. William Lacy Clay in Missouri, and Abdul El-Sayed was easily defeated by Gretchen Whitmer in the Democratic primary for governor in Michigan. However, Ocasio-Cortez-supported congressional candidates Rashida Tlaib in Michigan and James Thompson in Kansas won their primaries on Tuesday night.<doc-sep>
(CNN) — In a Democratic primary season spiced up by new names, insurgent candidates and the party’s progressive push, Hawaii’s elections on Saturday offered a stamp of approval to the state’s status quo. Democratic Gov. David Ige survived a challenge from Rep. Colleen Hanabusa and will move on to face Republican primary winner Andria Tupola in November, CNN projects. The race between Ige, whose political future was thrown into doubt earlier this year over his handling of a false missile alert that went uncorrected for nearly 40 minutes, and Hanabusa divided Democrats and progressive groups in the state. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who represents Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District and eased to victory on Saturday, endorsed Hanabusa. Hanabusa’s decision to take on the incumbent created an open seat in the 1st Congressional District. The contest to replace her was won by another familiar face, former Rep. Ed Case, according to CNN projections. He took about 40% of the vote in a crowded field. Lt. Gov. Doug Chin is expected to finish second, with former state Senate President Donna Mercado Kim behind him in third. Former state GOP Rep. Cam Cavasso will be the Republican nominee. State Rep. Kaniela Ing, a favorite of the progressive insurgency, came in a distant fourth or fifth. The 29-year-old member of the Democratic Socialists of America campaigned on single-payer health care, tuition-free college and has advocated for housing measures that would create millions of new units and prohibit unfair evictions. Ing also had the backing of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who visited Hawaii on Thursday to campaign with him. The same ad-makers behind the viral campaign video that bolstered her bid also produced a similar video for Ing. “It’s easy to blame Republicans, to blame Trump for our problems, but we have to look in the mirror,” Ing says in the ad, taking a shot at fellow Democrats. “Who controls our state? Who’s controlling our party?” But even as his campaign built excitement on the left, news that a state commission found major violations in his campaign finance reports dating back to 2011 cost him both momentum and a fine of about $15,000. Since Ocasio-Cortez jarred the party establishment with her remarkable upset of Rep. Joe Crowley, the No. 4-ranking House Democrat, fellow leftist candidates have put together a mixed record – generally performing better in bluer states and districts. Abdul El-Sayed in the Michigan governor’s race and Kansas congressional candidate Brent Welder, both also endorsed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, lost primaries, while others, like Rashida Tlaib in Michigan’s 13th Congressional District, won historic victories. Sarah Smith, another Ocasio-Cortez and Justice Democrats-backed candidate, now appears poised to advance to the general election in Washington state’s 9th Congressional District, where she’ll face-off with Democratic incumbent Rep. Adam Smith, who finished first in their nonpartisan primary. Ocasio-Cortez will not have an ideological ally in Hawaii’s Case, a moderate “Blue Dog” who held the seat from 2002 through 2007. He most recently lost Senate races in 2006 and 2012 and a congressional special election in 2010. Case is all but guaranteed to return to Capitol Hill, with deep-blue Hawaii’s primaries essentially functioning as general elections. His late decision to enter the contest altered a race that many expected to come down to Kim and Chin, who as Hawaii’s attorney general last year took the state’s legal challenge of the Trump administration’s travel ban to the Supreme Court. In the Republican Senate primary, retired systems engineer Ron Curtis emerged from an eight-candidate field, according to CNN projections, to take on Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono, whose seat is seen as safe in November’s midterm elections.