Sources: Case To Challenge Akaka For Senate Seat (Hawaii)

The HawaiiChanel.com ^ | 1/19/06 | Brent Suyama,

[fieldmarshaldj]

I tended to cut Fong some slack, given the state at the time. His ACU rating was close to 70 prior to Watergate (67-1971; 64-1972; 68-1973) though plummeted by half afterwards (38-1974; 48-1975; 50-1976) prior to his decision not to run again in 1976. Had he run again in 1976, he probably still would've eked out another win (Ford won HI in '76, IIRC) and would've had Hayakawa as a seatmate. Of course, Hayakawa was a fair Conservative with real cajones (he stood up to the anti-Vietnam War kooks, physically), but he wasn't a spring chicken (at 70, the same age as Fong) when he upended one of the biggest empty-suit liberals of the time, John Tunney.

Sadly, when Hayakawa stepped down (he was often smeared by the media with the moniker "Sleepy Sam" for dozing off during hearings with liberal Democrats droning on and on), realizing he didn't want to spend his twilight years in DC, it paved the way for the Pete Wilson dynasty... and we all know how that turned out.

[cloud8]

Is Hawaii like Massachusetts...a one party state that habitually elects Republican governors?

[Alissa]

No ANY Republican elected in Hawaii is an anomaly.

[Alissa]

Patricia Saiki served as a Republican in the US House for one term in the 101st.

[AuH2ORepublican]

"I think we should look to a younger generation of Hawaiian Republicans to run for office."

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Excellent point.

I didn't know Saiki was so old.

[AuH2ORepublican]

Maybe you were thinking of Hawaii, thought of Oahu, and it came out Ohio. Or maybe you'd been drinking too much of "de wine" and it made you think of Ohio's senior senator. : )

[AuH2ORepublican]

"Is Hawaii like Massachusetts...a one party state that habitually elects Republican governors?"

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If by "habitually" you mean "every 40 years or so," then yes.

Hawaii actually votes Republican for president more often than it elects a Republican governor. But still, I like Linda Lingle's odds for reelection.

[AuH2ORepublican]

While Ford did very well in HI in 1976, Carter beat him there by a bit over 7,000 votes, 50.59% to 48.06%.

[Clintonfatigued]

Actually, she served two terms, being elected in 1986 and reelected in 1988. She ran unsuccessfully for the Senate in a 1990 special election, losing to Daniel Akaka by a 55% to 45% margin.

[bilhosty]

"Maybe you were thinking of Hawaii, thought of Oahu, and it came out Ohio. Or maybe you'd been drinking too much of "de wine" and it made you think of Ohio's senior senator."

Good one

[fieldmarshaldj]

"While Ford did very well in HI in 1976, Carter beat him there by a bit over 7,000 votes, 50.59% to 48.06%."

Ah, OK. I was too lazy to look it up. ;-)

That begs the questions if Fong had been on the ballot, would he have helped Ford carry the state ? Would Spark Matsunaga have even bothered to run if Fong hadn't, and if he had, would he still have defeated Fong ?

I know Hayakawa was helped a bit in up-ending Tunney because Ford did carry California.

[AuH2ORepublican]

"That begs the questions if Fong had been on the ballot, would he have helped Ford carry the state?"

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If Fong was as much of a RINO at the end as you say, I would guess that he'd bring out more RINO voters who would have probably voted for Jimmah.

"Would Spark Matsunaga have even bothered to run if Fong hadn't, and if he had, would he still have defeated Fong ?"

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No idea, but my money would be on Fong. In Hawaii, always bet on the incumbent winning.

[fieldmarshaldj]

I'd have called Fong a moderate with some post-Watergate RINO tendencies (if he had stuck around into the Reagan era, he might've moved back -- he was inching back up again by '76). If he had brought more RINOs to the polls in '76, why would they have not voted for the biggest RINO President in modern memory ? ;-)