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HONOLULU (AP) -- In a stunning defeat for an incumbent, Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie was unseated by a fellow Democrat in Saturday's primary election, as voters chose state Sen. David Ige as their nominee in one of two marquee races that have divided the party. Abercrombie had tried to hold onto his seat while disgruntled voters turned their allegiance to Ige, who promised to bring a less confrontational political style. Voters rewarded Ige with a decisive victory....

As the final days of campaigning drew to a close in Hawaii’s dramatic primary races, a pair of hurricanes thrashed toward the islands. The storms posed considerable risk, but for Gov. Neil Abercrombie, they also represented an opportunity to cast himself as a steady leader with a strong emotional connection to people in the state. […] … The incumbent governor faces a surprisingly strong challenge from a fellow Democrat and early voting was heavily encouraged. It’s not the only race splitting the Democratic Party establishment. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa is challenging U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz to determine who will fill the...

As the final days of campaigning drew to a close in Hawaii’s dramatic primary races, a pair of hurricanes thrashed toward the islands. The storms posed considerable risk, but for Gov. Neil Abercrombie, they also represented an opportunity to cast himself as a steady leader with a strong emotional connection to people in the state. […] … The incumbent governor faces a surprisingly strong challenge from a fellow Democrat and early voting was heavily encouraged. It’s not the only race splitting the Democratic Party establishment. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa is challenging U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz to determine who will fill the...

President Barack Obama on Monday threw his support to Sen. Brian Schatz over Colleen Hanabusa in Hawaii’s Senate race, stepping into a primary that has been divisive for voters in the state where Obama was born. Obama’s backing could give a critical boost to Schatz in Hawaii, where Obama remains more popular than in most other parts of the U.S. Seven in 10 Hawaii voters chose Obama in 2012. Polls this year show Schatz and Hanabusa are in a competitive race. “Sen. Schatz is protecting Hawaii’s values and fighting every day on behalf of middle-class families,” Obama said in a...

GOP consultant Karl Rove got directly involved Friday in Hawaii's hotly contested Congressional race between Republican incumbent Rep. Charles Djou and Democrat Colleen Hanabusa. Rove's group American Crossroads started running an ad on Hawaii television stations Friday critical of Hanabusa. The TV commercial says, "There are problems in paradise, and Colleen Hanabusa would make things worse. Hanabusa supports Nancy Pelosi's tsunami of spending. She defends the trillion dollar health care takeover that raises our costs and cuts Medicare by over $500 billion. She has said she will support the cap and trade energy tax that will raise the cost of...

May 22, 2010 Republicans Capture House Seat in Obama's Hometown Honolulu -- Republicans scored a midterm election victory Saturday when Honolulu City Councilman Charles Djou won a Democratic-held House seat in Hawaii in the district where President Obama grew up -- the latest triumph for the GOP as it looks to take back control of Congress. Djou's victory was a blow to Obama and other Democrats who could not rally around a candidate and find away to win a congressional race that should have been a cakewalk. The seat had been held by a Democrat for nearly 20 years and...

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President Barack Obama won Hawaii’s first congressional district in 2008 with 70% of the vote, but on May 22 the president’s hometown seat is probably going to fall to the GOP in a special election. Maryland Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen, who runs the Democrats’ campaign operation, told reporters that they would “have to re-evaluate” their efforts to win. Translation: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is likely going to pull out of the race altogether. The news is welcome to House Republicans, but this race shouldn’t be viewed as a bellwether because of the quirks in the Hawaii election. For...

Please take a moment to help FREEP this poll. It is an online poll for the Honolulu Advertiser, and it is for the election to replace the seat vacated by former U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie. Hawaii has a legitimate chance to be Massachusetts The Sequel, with Charles Djou (R), a fiscal, common-sense conservative, challenging the union-backed Colleen Hanabusa (D) and Democrat Ed Case (who paints himself as a "moderate" and "independent" but is really another tax-and-spender). The narrative played out in local media is that Charles is a longshot, but Cook Political Report has revised their assessment twice so far,...