Hawaii: Inouye Asked Governor to Appoint Hanabusa in ‘Last Wish’

Hanabusa is viewed as a leading contender for the Hawaii Senate appointment. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

In a letter delivered just hours before his death, Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawaii, wrote to Gov. Neil Abercrombie asking him to appoint Rep. Colleen Hanabusa to succeed him.

An Inouye aide described this as the senator’s “last wish” as a political figure. Inouye was a larger-than-life figure in Hawaii, suggesting that his dying request could carry tremendous weight with Abercrombie, a former 10-term House member. The Inouye endorsement should make Hanabusa the favorite for the seat.

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Hawaii: President Barack Obama Makes Closing Argument for Mazie Hirono

Rep. Mazie Hirono (D) appears to be cruising to victory in the open-seat Senate race in Hawaii, but she’s nonetheless getting a final boost from President Barack Obama.

A new radio ad released over the weekend by the Hirono campaign features Obama expressing support for the Congresswoman, highlighting her connection to his family.

“Years ago, Mazie worked with my late grandmother.  So Mazie isn’t just a reliable partner of mine in Washington; she is part of my ohana at home in Hawaii,” Obama said. “Now, I need Mazie’s cooperative style and commitment to middle-class families in the U.S. Senate.”

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Hawaii: Don Young Backs Linda Lingle After Supporting Mazie Hirono, Pushes Oil Exploration

Rep. Don Young of Alaska is endorsing former Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle. (CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) is endorsing former Gov. Linda Lingle (R) in the race to fill Hawaii’s open Senate seat, even though he appeared in an ad backing Rep. Mazie Hirono (D) during primary season.

Young made the announcement in a letter on Monday, endorsing Lingle because her victory — as unlikely as it seems to be — could help Republicans take control of the Senate. The campaign is not close, with polling showing Lingle trailing Hirono by double digits. But it continues to generate strange side stories far from the mainland.

“As the only noncontiguous states in the union, Alaska and Hawaii are connected through a unique set of issues facing each state. Energy is on the minds of both Alaskans and Hawaiians,” Young wrote. “Harry Reid and his cohorts — continue to stand in the way of responsible development of Alaska’s resources.”

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Hawaii: Linda Lingle Invokes Elizabeth Edwards During Senate Debate

Former Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle (above) accused Rep. Mazie Hirono of supporting John Edwards for president in 2008. (Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

In their first televised debate Monday night, Hawaii Senate candidates former Gov. Linda Lingle (R) and Rep. Mazie Hirono (D) attacked each other for supporting failed presidential candidates of the past.

Hirono asked Lingle if she regretted statements she made while stumping for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) during the 2008 general election against President Barack Obama, a native son of Hawaii. Lingle responded by suggesting that Hirono and Democratic Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye supported others in the 2008 primary process.

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Hawaii: Senate Candidates Appropriating Daniel Inouye, Barack Obama

(Tom Williams/Roll Call File Photo)

Unlike many Democratic Senate candidates this cycle, Rep. Mazie Hirono seems eager to run on the coattails of her fellow Democrats — namely President Barack Obama and Hawaii’s senior Senator, Daniel Inouye.

Obama is expected to easily prevail in his native state, and Hirono, the Democratic Senate nominee, is embracing her support of Obama in a new ad hitting her opponent, former Republican Gov. Linda Lingle, for supporting GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

A release from the Hirono campaign characterized the ad as a statewide buy. If the past is any indication, then Hawaiians will see it on their TVs with some frequency.

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Hawaii: Mazie Hirono, Tulsi Gabbard Win Primaries

Rep. Mazie Hirono won her Senate primary and is favored to win the seat in November. (Tom Williams/Roll Call File Photo)

Rep. Mazie Hirono easily won her Democratic Senate primary Saturday, and Honolulu City Councilwoman Tulsi Gabbard scored an upset victory in the Democratic primary to replace Hirono in the House.

In heavily Democratic Hawaii, both Hirono and Gabbard are favored to win in November as well, especially with homegrown President Barack Obama on the ticket. Full story

Hawaii: Contentious Democratic Primaries Decided Saturday

Republican Senate candidate Linda Lingle awaits the winner of Saturday's Democratic primary. (Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Congressional seats aren’t vacated often in heavily Democratic Hawaii.

So a scrum ensued within the party when two opened up last year, and is set to culminate Saturday when the Democratic nominees for the open Senate seat and 2nd district House seat are decided. In a year when homegrown President Barack Obama leads the ticket, the winners of the Democratic primaries will be especially favored to win in November. Full story

Hawaii: Mazie Hirono Leads Linda Lingle by Double Digits in DSCC Poll

A new Democratic poll shows Rep. Mazie Hirono (above) leading former Gov. Linda Lingle in a general election matchup. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Update 11:00 a.m. | A Democratic poll released this morning found Rep. Mazie Hirono (D) well ahead of former Gov. Linda Lingle (R) in a test of Hawaii’s likely general election Senate matchup.

Hirono led Lingle by 19 points in the poll, conducted by the Mellman Group on behalf of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. It was released today, the same day that Hirono and former Rep. Ed Case will meet for their final debate before the Aug. 11 Democratic primary and as Hirono highlights her ability to work across the aisle on behalf of Hawaii’s interests. Full story

Hawaii: Don Young Backs Mazie Hirono

Members of Congress from Hawaii and Alaska have a history of bipartisan cooperation, and that was on full display today in the Hawaii Senate race.

Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) appeared in a 90-second web ad alongside Rep. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) to endorse her for Hawaii’s open Senate seat. Hirono is facing former Rep. Ed Case in the Aug. 11 Democratic primary, the winner of which will take on former Gov. Linda Lingle (R) in the general election.

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Hawaii: Fundraising, Dueling Polls in Senate Race

In their potential showdown for the Hawaii’s open Senate seat, Rep. Mazie Hirono (D) and former Gov. Linda Lingle (R) have in the last two days announced their second-quarter fundraising and released dueling polls.

Lingle raised more than $1.1 million in the second quarter, outpacing Hirono, who brought in $941,000 from April to June and had $2 million in cash on hand as of June 30. Lingle did not release her cash-on-hand total. Full story

Hawaii: GOP Poll Finds Close Senate Race

A poll for Republican Linda Lingle's campaign showed the Hawaii Senate race is competitive. (Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

A poll conducted for former Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle’s campaign found the Republican would be in a tight race with either of her potential Democratic opponents in this Democratic-leaning state.

According to a polling memo from Jan van Lohuizen, the Voter Consumer Research poll found Lingle leading Rep. Mazie Hirono by 5 points and trailing former Rep. Ed Case by 1 point, which is within the 4-point margin of error. The survey of 600 likely general election voters was taken July 8-10. Full story

Hawaii: Ed Case Agrees to General Election Debate

The Democratic primary might still be six weeks away, but former Rep. Ed Case (D) and former Gov. Linda Lingle (R) have already scheduled a general election debate.

The only thing stopping the two from debating on Aug. 15 is Rep. Mazie Hirono, who is challenging Case for their party’s nomination and is backed by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in the Aug. 11 primary.

According to a release from Case, the Maui Chamber of Commerce is hosting the business-focused debate and has invited the primary winners. Case said he looks forward “to many real debates with Linda throughout the general,” should he make it there.

Meanwhile, a fundraising appeal from Hirono cites Lingle’s “vanity TV channel” and asks supporters to help match the $30,000 Lingle will spend on it over the next six weeks.

Hawaii: Mazie Hirono, Ed Case Meeting Three Times This Week

The state’s two Democratic Senate candidates are scheduled to debate three times this week, although it could be the last time they meet face-to-face in front of the voters before the Aug. 11 primary.

Rep. Mazie Hirono and former Rep. Ed Case were to appear jointly at an AARP-sponsored issue forum Tuesday morning, at a Hawaii Public Radio debate on Wednesday evening and on PBS Hawaii on Thursday evening. The latter two events were scheduled to be broadcast live.

Case said in a release that Thursday will be the last time they meet because Hirono “has refused all other debates including four primetime statewide debates on our main television stations.”

The winner will face former Gov. Linda Lingle (R) in November in a race Roll Call rates as Leans Democratic.

Hawaii: Linda Lingle Launches Own Cable TV Channel

(Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Former Gov. Linda Lingle (R) today launched her own cable television channel, which is dedicated solely to providing information about her Senate campaign and the issues facing Hawaii.

LL2012 can be found on digital channel 110 for Oceanic Time Warner subscribers. According to the cable company, this is the first time a U.S. political candidate has used a dedicated cable channel, the campaign said. Full story

Study: Democrats Must Win Moderates to Hold Senate

In a study that could annoy Democrats and perturb proponents of the “base election” theory, a centrist Democratic think tank is arguing that its party’s hold on the Senate hinges on political “moderates.”

Third Way, in a report set for release today, asserts not only that ideological moderates will determine control of the Senate in November, but that Democrats need to win more of these voters in 10 states with tossup Senate contests than do the Republicans. The think tank crunched exit polling data from recent presidential and midterm elections and concluded that Democrats face a significant challenge in their bid to retain their thin, four-seat Senate majority.

“Crucially for Democrats, they must garner a majority of moderates in nine of 10 toss-ups to win, and in seven of those the bar is even higher — Democrats must clear 60 percent [of moderates] to win,” Third Way policy advisers Michelle Diggles and Lanae Erickson write in the think tank’s report.

Third Way classifies 10 Senate races as Tossup; Roll Call currently rates eight races as Tossup.

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