Candidates' Children Stepping up Influence for GOP Caucus Tuesday (Santorum, Romney, Paul)

KHON Channel 2, Honolulu, Hawaii ^ | 12 March 2012 | Gina Mangieri, KHON-TV Reporterette

[AmericanInTokyo]

Hawaii's relatively few number of delegates, 20, still matter very much even this late in the Primary and Caucus cycle. Leading candidates are ramping up their presence here ahead of Tuesday night's Caucus.

Most of the leading candidates have a son or daughter here in the islands hoping to help secure delegates for the party nomination.

"Hawaii gets to have a say in who they want to be the nominee to go up against Obama. So I'm encouraged on Tuesday. Every vote matters," said Rick Santorum's daughter, Elizabeth....

[AmericanInTokyo]

Every delegate counts. The video at the link shows Elizabeth stumping for her dad, Rick Santorum, and the other participants playing Hawaii for Tuesday's outcome as well. Methinks this is not automatically just a no-brainer for Romney. Lots of retired military in Hawaii in the GOP whom might trend away from both Romney and Ron Paul on this one. Depends on ground game.

Two of the other GOP remaining president candidates--in addition to Santorum--are also pushing hard here with their family members flying to Hawaii to wear out the shoe leather, maybe get sun burned in the process. Might well be a split state delegation to Tampa. Tuesday night 6 to 8 p.m. local time.

[Pontiac]

I very much doubt the kids will have much time to see the islands while they are there but if you have to go one the road for dad I can imagine a lot worse places to go.

But I can say for the short time they will be there they will pay a high price in hours and hours on the plane there and back again.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Thank goodness for iPads and Kindles!! (Heck they should have just had me fly there and give some motivational speeches on behalf of my guy). I believe the flight time would be considerably less, and coming in based on the Japanese Yen, to stay there a few days would have been peanuts.

[Guenevere]

bttt for Elizabeth Santorum....
...a charming, gracious, articulate young lady and a credit to her mom and dad!

[Vigilanteman]

Since becoming a state, Hawaii has voted for the GOP presidential candidate exactly twice:

1. Nixon in the 1972 landslide against McGovern.
   
2. Reagan in his 1984 landslide against Mondale.

I suppose that makes is slightly more important than the District of Columbia, where the GOP candidate cracked 20% exactly once-- 1972 and hasn't even cracked 10% since Bush I in 1988.

[AmericanInTokyo]

As long as there are old Pearl Harbor retired vets over there in the VA Hospital or at Tripler in Honolulu, in their 80s and 90s (a number of them just stayed on in Hawaii after experiencing that horrendous day), and they have the gumption to make it to the polls or vote absentee due to their deteriorating physical conditions, why I still will personally consider Hawaii as important. Of course, I don’t doubt the history that you mentioned. How will the vote in Hawaii go when Sheriff Joe finally gets the goods on Obongo and it comes out he was in fact born in a piss poor shed somewhere in rural Kenya. (Maybe I dont want to way “shed” — it is too close to a “manger”.)

[AmericanInTokyo]

As long as there are old Pearl Harbor retired vets over there in the VA Hospital or at Tripler in Honolulu, in their 80s and 90s (a number of them just stayed on in Hawaii after experiencing that horrendous day), and they have the gumption to make it to the polls or vote absentee due to their deteriorating physical conditions, why I still will personally consider Hawaii as important. Of course, I don’t doubt the history that you mentioned. How will the vote in Hawaii go when Sheriff Joe finally gets the goods on Obongo and it comes out he was in fact born in a piss poor shed somewhere in rural Kenya. (Maybe I dont want to say “shed” — it is too close to a “manger”.)