Hawaii primary sets up races for governor, Congress in blue state


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A term-limited governor and a surprise congressional retirement set the stage for Saturday’s primaries in Hawaii, with Democrats battling over offices they’re favored to win in November.

The race for the Democratic nomination to succeed Gov. David Ige (D), who’s ending his second term with low approval ratings, pits Lt. Gov. Josh Green against former Hawaii first lady Vicky Cayetano and Rep. Kaiali’i Kahele. Four other Democrats are on the ballot, but Green has consistently led in polls leading up to the primary.

Hawaii elections are conducted via ballots mailed to voters. For the primary, the deadline for ballots to be received is 7 p.m. local time on Saturday.

A medical doctor, Green became the public face of the state’s aggressive response to the coronavirus pandemic, including a long-running requirement that travelers to the state provide negative tests or proof of vaccination.

“I’ve become like part of the family for most of the state,” Green, 52, told The Washington Post before his campaign launch in February. Cayetano, 66, got into the race last summer, and Kahele, 48, abandoned his safe House seat in May after a single term to run for governor, focusing on campaign finance reform.

In the campaign’s final weeks, Cayetano and Kahele went negative against Green, holding a joint news conference to demand more transparency of his personal finances. In May, a super PAC opposing Green began running ads about his medical credentials, pointing out that he isn’t “board certified,” though certification isn’t required to practice medicine in Hawaii.

The attacks did little to slow down Green. In debates and TV ads, he’s called his opponents desperate and promised to build more housing to tackle soaring costs and reduce homelessness.

National Republicans have not targeted the race, after investing in former lieutenant governor Duke Aiona’s 2014 campaign, only to see him lose, to Ige, by more than 12 points. Aiona, 67, entered this year’s race right before the filing deadline, and has led in polls but raised less than $24,000 for his comeback bid — about a tenth as much as retired MMA fighter BJ Penn, 43, his leading rival for the nomination.

Green has raised nearly $1.5 million, and David Turner, a spokesman for the Democratic Governors Association, said that the party sees the Hawaii race as “safe.” The Republican Governors Association did not respond to a request for comment.

Six Democrats are running to replace Green as lieutenant governor, and polls have found a tight race between state Rep. Sylvia Luke, 54, and former Honolulu City Council Chair Ikaika Anderson, 44, with most voters undecided.

The race for Kahele’s open seat, in the 2nd Congressional District, has attracted more money and attention. In the final weeks, it transformed into an expensive battle between Sen. Jill Tokuda, 46, a liberal backed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and state Rep. Patrick Branco, 35, who shares most of her positions and has the support of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Both candidates support an assault weapons ban, Medicare-for-all legislation, and codifying Roe v. Wade. Few policy differences emerged in the three months since Kahele decided to abandon a safely Democratic seat that President Biden carried by 30 points. But last-minute spending from Web3 Forward, a super PAC funded by cryptocurrency investors, attacked Tokuda for winning a National Rifle Association endorsement in a previous race.

“All of these hit pieces that have been out against me, quite frankly, I’ve been devastated by them,” said Tokuda in a debate this month, denouncing the role played by “dark money from the mainland.”

The 2nd Congressional District covers most of Hawaii’s territory, outside of populous Oahu. In the Honolulu-based 1st Congressional District, Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawaii) is being challenged by Sergio Alcubilla, an activist and nonprofit director who



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