GOP wins House seat in Obama's home district

Djou wins special election for Congress
Hanabusa leads Case with nearly all the votes counted

By B.J. Reyes

POSTED: 04:40 p.m. HST, May 22, 2010


Republican Charles Djou emerged victorious tonight in the special election to fill Hawaii's vacancy in Congress, giving Hawaii its first GOP member of Congress in 20 years.
Djou won the special mail-in election with 39.7 percent of the vote in the final printout, released at 9 p.m.
The final printout represented 171,417 ballots returned by voters in the district, which stretches from Waikiki and downtown to Mililani.
Democrat Colleen Hanabusa was second at 31 percent, with Democrat Ed Case third at 27.8 percent.
“This is a momentous day,” Djou told a jubilant crowd at state party headquarters. “We have sent a message to the United States Congress. We have sent a message to the ex-governors. We have sent a message to the national Democrats! We have sent a message to the machine.
“We have told them that we will not stand idly by as our great nation is overburdened by too much taxes, too much debt and too much wasteful spending.”
Djou is Hawaii's first GOP member of Congress since Pat Saiki, who represented the party from 1987 to 1991.
2010 SPECIAL ELECTION RESULTSParty Candidate Votes Percent
R Charles Djou 67,610 39.7%
D Colleen Hanabusa 52,802 31.0%
D Ed Case 47,391 27.8%
D Rafael Del Castillo 664 0.4%
N Kalaeloa Strode 491 0.3%
N Jim Brewer 273 0.2%
D Philmund Lee 254 0.1%
R Charles Collins 194 0.1%
R C. Kaui Jochanan Amsterdam 170 0.1%
D Vinny Browne 150 0.1%
N Steve Tataii 125 0.1%
R Douglas Crum 107 0.1%
R John Giuffre 82 0.0%
N Karl F. Moseley 80 0.0%
100% of the vote, posted at 9:07 p.m.
Source: Hawaii Office of Elections

Eleven other candidates combined to receive 2.1 percent of the vote.
Former U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie announced in December plans to resign his seat to concentrate solely on his campaign for governor, setting off a special election campaign unlike any in state history.
By the time he formally resigned Feb. 28, the field of three main contenders had formed and the Office of Elections -- after openly considering whether to postpone the vote until the September primary to save money -- settled on a mail-in process at the cost of about $1 million.
A Star-Bulletin/KITV poll in January gave Case, the former 2nd District congressman, the edge on name recognition and favorability, followed by Hanabusa, the state Senate president, and then Djou, a City Councilman.
The race was on the radar of the national parties and political pundits, but many expected the seat to remain Democratic in a district that supported Obama by 72 percent.
Sensibilities changed in January after Republican Scott Brown flipped the seat formerly belonging to Democrat Ted Kennedy in Massachusetts.
Suddenly, national eyes were on Hawaii as the GOP went looking for the "next Scott Brown," and a chance to score an upset on Obama's home turf heading into the fall midterm elections.
Money poured in -- more than $1 million each for Djou and Hanabusa -- as Republicans hoped to capitalize on the winner-take-all nature of the special election and "shoot the gap" amid a split Democratic electorate.
Divisions in the party deepened after U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye, still bitter over Case's challenge to U.S. Sen. Dan Akaka in 2006, threw his considerable support behind Hanabusa.
His influence and support kept the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee from making an endorsement in the race. The committee reportedly sought to back Case as the more viable candidate.
After spending $300,000 on ads attacking Djou, the committee pulled out of Hawaii earlier this month, citing the inability of the local party to rally behind a single candidate.
Republican Charles Djou emerged victorious tonight in the special election to fill Hawaii's vacancy in Congress, giving Hawaii its first GOP member of Congress in 20 years.


DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Supporters applaud Charles Djou on his victory for the Congressional seat during his speech. Shown are Mark Webster, left, his wife Helen and Michael McNulty.
View Large Version >>Djou won the special mail-in election with 39.7 percent of the vote in the final printout, released at 9 p.m.

The final printout represented 171,417 ballots returned by voters in the district, which stretches from Waikiki and downtown to Mililani.

Democrat Colleen Hanabusa was second at 31 percent, with Democrat Ed Case third at 27.8 percent.

“This is a momentous day,” Djou told a jubilant crowd at state party headquarters. “We have sent a message to the United States Congress. We have sent a message to the ex-governors. We have sent a message to the national Democrats! We have sent a message to the machine.

“We have told them that we will not stand idly by as our great nation is overburdened by too much taxes, too much debt and too much wasteful spending.”

Djou is Hawaii's first GOP member of Congress since Pat Saiki, who represented the party from 1987 to 1991.


2010 SPECIAL ELECTION RESULTS
Party Candidate Votes Percent
R Charles Djou 67,610 39.7%
D Colleen Hanabusa 52,802 31.0%
D Ed Case 47,391 27.8%
D Rafael Del Castillo 664 0.4%
N Kalaeloa Strode 491 0.3%
N Jim Brewer 273 0.2%
D Philmund Lee 254 0.1%
R Charles Collins 194 0.1%
R C. Kaui Jochanan Amsterdam 170 0.1%
D Vinny Browne 150 0.1%
N Steve Tataii 125 0.1%
R Douglas Crum 107 0.1%
R John Giuffre 82 0.0%
N Karl F. Moseley 80 0.0%


100% of the vote, posted at 9:07 p.m.
Source: Hawaii Office of Elections




Eleven other candidates combined to receive 2.1 percent of the vote.

Former U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie announced in December plans to resign his seat to concentrate solely on his campaign for governor, setting off a special election campaign unlike any in state history.

By the time he formally resigned Feb. 28, the field of three main contenders had formed and the Office of Elections -- after openly considering whether to postpone the vote until the September primary to save money -- settled on a mail-in process at the cost of about $1 million.

A Star-Bulletin/KITV poll in January gave Case, the former 2nd District congressman, the edge on name recognition and favorability, followed by Hanabusa, the state Senate president, and then Djou, a City Councilman.

The race was on the radar of the national parties and political pundits, but many expected the seat to remain Democratic in a district that supported Obama by 72 percent.

Sensibilities changed in January after Republican Scott Brown flipped the seat formerly belonging to Democrat Ted Kennedy in Massachusetts.

Suddenly, national eyes were on Hawaii as the GOP went looking for the "next Scott Brown," and a chance to score an upset on Obama's home turf heading into the fall midterm elections.

Money poured in -- more than $1 million each for Djou and Hanabusa -- as Republicans hoped to capitalize on the winner-take-all nature of the special election and "shoot the gap" amid a split Democratic electorate.

Divisions in the party deepened after U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye, still bitter over Case's challenge to U.S. Sen. Dan Akaka in 2006, threw his considerable support behind Hanabusa.

His influence and support kept the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee from making an endorsement in the race. The committee reportedly sought to back Case as the more viable candidate.

After spending $300,000 on ads attacking Djou, the committee pulled out of Hawaii earlier this month, citing the inability of the local party to rally behind a single candidate.

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