Categorized | Elections, Featured, News

Schatz wins Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate seat

Senator Brian Schatz flashes a shaka sign to passing motorists near Keonepoko Elementary School where two Puna precincts held their delayed primary election polls. Photography by Baron Sekiya | Hawaii 24/7

Senator Brian Schatz flashes a shaka sign to passing motorists near Keonepoko Elementary School where two Puna precincts held their delayed primary election polls. Photography by Baron Sekiya | Hawaii 24/7

Karin Stanton | Hawaii 24/7 Editor

Brian Schatz pipped Colleen Hanabusa and earned the Democratic nomination to retain his U.S. Senate seat.

Following a makeup election Friday for two Puna precincts, Schatz had 115,397 votes (48.5 percent) to Hanabusa’s 113,628 votes (47.8 percent).

Tropical Storm Iselle delayed the vote in Puna by six days, which kept several state and county races unresolved.

Notably, Rep. Faye Hanohano was ousted by Joy SanBuenaventura and Councilman Greggor Ilagan earned to votes to keep his seat outright.

Votes counted Friday included 1,508 ballots from the two precincts,
1,496 mailed or early walk-in, 12 absentee ballots dropped off in-person. Also, elections officials announced later Friday afternoon they had discovered 800 additional ballots from Maui that had not been counted.

The makeup vote was set Monday by state election officials, who originally said they would send out absentee ballots.

Rep. Colleen Hanabusa signwaves  on Kahakai Blvd on Friday (Aug 15) in Puna on the morning of the delayed primary election for two Puna precincts. Photography by Baron Sekiya | Hawaii 24/7

Rep. Colleen Hanabusa signwaves on Kahakai Blvd on Friday (Aug 15) in Puna on the morning of the delayed primary election for two Puna precincts. Photography by Baron Sekiya | Hawaii 24/7

Hanabusa filed a legal challenge, which was shot down Thursday by Circuit Judge Greg Nakamura. The congresswoman claimed Puna voters needed more time to recover from the storm. The state countered, saying elections officials were informed that roads were clear and citing a need to swiftly wrap up the election.

“The court is not supposed to interfere with an ongoing election process,” Nakamura said. However, “if you take a popular poll now, the poll would indicate that there’s a lack of common sense to hold the election tomorrow.”

Some area residents were turned away because they live outside the two precincts, but believed anyone who missed last week’s vote could cast ballots due to the storm. They said they were confused, upset, angry and disappointed.

Overall, the Puna turnout was 36 percent, while the state average was 41 percent.

Meanwhile, election officials in Honolulu said a memory card holding 800 Maui votes had not been counted.

Schatz and Hanabusa were quick to blast the oversight.

“This is appalling and outrageous. It is unacceptable that the Office of Elections failed to count these ballots on Maui, and the voters of Hawaii are entitled to an explanation of how this occurred. We need to understand what measures will be taken to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again,” Schatz said.

“I’m stunned, I’m really stunned,” Hanabusa said. “I can’t imagine that with everything we’ve seen happen here, that in addition to that, there are votes that haven’t been counted on Maui, and the question that a lot of people of probably asking is, where else and did their vote count?”

Schatz now is set to face Republican Cam Cavasso and Libertarian Michael Kokoski in the Nov. 4 General Election.

Late Friday, Cavasso said, “I want to welcome the Democrat Party nominee to the race. It is obvious that it was a hard race, in a party divided for the primary nomination, and the candidates and mainland super PACs have spent considerable money getting to the final result.”

Cavasso said he is ready to get down to business for the General Election.

“I call for at least three debates so the people of Hawaii can understand their choices,” he said. “Three debates is obviously not burdensome for either candidate, although it would be respectful to the people of Hawaii that we schedule a debate on each of the islands. Each of the candidates should sponsor at least one of the debates each and independent organizations can volunteer to sponsor the remaining debates.”

FINAL RESULTS

GOVERNOR

Libertarian
DAVIS, Jeff 587 82.6%

Independent
HANNEMANN, Mufi 2,102 88.7%

Republican
AIONA, Duke 41,816 94.8%
GREGORY, Stuart Todd 639 1.4%
COLLINS, Charles (Trump) 579 1.3%

Non-Partisan
DAVIS, Misty 201 18.1%
MORSE, Richard 98 8.8%
DEJEAN CALDWELL, Khis 84 7.6%
SPATOLA, Joseph R. 40 3.6%

Democrat
IGE, David Yutaka 156,998 66.0%
ABERCROMBIE, Neil 73,484 30.9%
TANABE, Van K. (Tanaban) 2,620 1.1%

Lt. GOVERNOR

Libertarian
MARLIN, Cynthia (Lahi) 555 78.1%

Independent
CHANG, Les 1,369 57.7%

Republican
AHU, Elwin P. 27,665 62.7%
SUTTON, Warner Kimo 11,507 26.1%

Democrat
TSUTSUI, Shan S. 120,745 50.8%
HEE, Clayton 81,223 34.2%
ZANAKIS, Mary 18,169 7.6%
SHIRATORI, Miles 2,593 1.1%
PULETASI, Sam 2,126 0.9%

U.S. SENATE

Libertarian
KOKOSKI, Michael 568 79.9%

Republican
CAVASSO, Cam 25,861 58.6%
ROCO, John P. 4,424 10.0%
FRIEL, Harry J., Jr. 3,477 7.9%
PIRKOWSKI, Eddie 2,032 4.6%

Non-Partisan
ALLISON, Joy 387 34.8%
REYES, Arturo Pacheco 184 16.5%

Democrat
SCHATZ, Brian 115,401 48.5%
HANABUSA, Colleen Wakako 113,632 47.8%
EVANS, Brian 4,842 2.0%

U.S. REPRESENTATIVE – DISTRICT II

Libertarian
KENT, Joe 373 79.2%

Republican
CROWLEY, Kawika 9,093 42.7%
CAPELOUTO, Marissa D. 6,925 32.5%

Democrat
GABBARD, Tulsi 92,030 80.6%

STATE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES – DISTRICT 4

Republican
THOMAS, Gary 499 83.9%

Democrat
SANBUENAVENTURA, Joy A. 1,628 41.0%
HANOHANO, Faye Pua 766 19.3%
JORDAN, Brian F. 549 13.8%
BRONSON-CRELLY, Leilani 503 12.7%
PELEIHOLANI, Julia K. 304 7.7%

COUNTY COUNCIL – DISTRICT 4

ILAGAN, Greggor 2,038 52.1%
LOZANO, Roy J. 730 18.7%
NAEOLE, Emily I. 631 16.1%
GREENE, Madie 381 9.7%

OHA AT-LARGE TRUSTEE

WAIHEE, John D. 82,064 9.5%
AKANA, Rowena M.N. 63,254 7.3%
AHU ISA, Lei (Leinaala) 58,143 6.7%
TRASK, Mililani B. 51,802 6.0%
AKINA, Kelii 34,648 4.0%
McINERNY, Harvey 30,351 3.5%
HOPKINS, Jeremy Kama 27,096 3.1%
KALIMA, Leona Mapuana 23,041 2.7%
WONG-KALU, Hina (Kumu Hina) 20,549 2.4%
SHIN-PENN, Lorraine Pualani 19,343 2.2%
MAKEKAU, Kealii 18,907 2.2%
DESOTO-MCCOLLOUGH, Lahilahi 13,342 1.5%
YOON, Wes Kaiwi Nui 12,303 1.4%
PAIKAI, Landen D.K.K. 10,529 1.2%
KEKIPI, T. Keikialoha 7,827 0.9%
QUARTERO, Alona N. 4,759 0.5%

— Find out more:
http://hawaii.gov/elections/results/2014/primary/

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