Primary preview: Hawaii state executive elections, 2014
August 8, 2014
| August 8, 2014 Election Preview |
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HONOLULU, Hawaii: On August 9, Hawaii voters will brave the extreme weather to select the Democratic and Republican nominees for governor and lieutenant governor.[1]
Governor and lieutenant governor are the only state executive positions up for election in 2014 in the state of Hawaii. Hawaii is one of only three states, the others being New Jersey and Tennessee, where the governor/lieutenant governor ticket is the only statewide elected office.
Both incumbents, Democratic Gov. Neil Abercrombie and Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui, are seeking re-election and face heavy primary challenges.[2]
The winners of the four executive primary contests will join a slew of already-filed third party and unaffiliated candidates on the November ballot. While nominees for governor and lieutenant governor are elected separately in the primary, they run on single ticket in the general election.
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election.
Hawaii utilizes an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.[3][4]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Below, Ballotpedia has put together a preview of those upcoming elections.
In Hawaii, polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Hawaii Time.[5]
Hawaii Governor
- See also: Hawaii Gubernatorial election, 2014
General election
Duke Aiona/Elwin Ahu[6]
David Ige/Shan Tsutsui
[7]
Jeff Davis/Cindy Marlin[8]
Independent Party candidates Mufi Hannemann/Les Chang[9]
Lost in the primary
Gubernatorial
Neil Abercrombie - Incumbent[10]
Van Tanabe[2]
Charles Collins - Retired businessman, artist, frequent candidate[2]
Stuart Gregory - Frequent candidate[2]
Lieutenant gubernatorial
Clayton Hee - State Sen.[11]
Sam Puletasi - State Medical Board Member[2]
Miles Shiratori - Lifeguard, Real Estate Investor[2]
Mary Zanakis - Television documentary producer[12]
Kimo Sutton[13]
Disqualified
(nonpartisan) Misty Davis[14]
(nonpartisan) Khistina Dejean[14]
(nonpartisan) Richard Morse, Jr.[14]
Withdrawn
(nonpartisan) Joe Spatola - Entertainer[14]
| Hawaii Governor - General Election | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | David Ige (D) | Duke Aiona (R) | Mufi Hannemann (I) | Other | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||
| New York Times/CBS/YouGov October 16-23, 2014 | 54% | 22% | 5% | 0% | 19% | +/-6 | 1,002 | ||||||||||||
| Merriman River October 16-19, 2014 | 40% | 34% | 11% | 6% | 8% | +/-2.8 | 1,221 | ||||||||||||
| New York Times/CBS/YouGov September 20-October 1, 2014 | 41% | 35% | 6% | 0% | 18% | +/-4 | 1,319 | ||||||||||||
| Rasmussen September 9-10, 2014 | 40% | 39% | 14% | 2% | 6% | +/-4 | 750 | ||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 43.75% | 32.5% | 9% | 2% | 12.75% | +/-4.2 | 1,073 | ||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Primary election
| Governor of Hawaii - Democratic Primary | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Neil Abercrombie* | David Ige | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| Honolulu Civil Beat/Merriman River Group (Survey of likely voters) July 24-28, 2014 | 41% | 51% | 8% | +/-3.3 | 895 | ||||||||||||||
| Honolulu Civil Beat/Merriman River Group June 7-9, 2014 | 37% | 48% | 15% | +/-3.0 | 729 | ||||||||||||||
| Honolulu Civil Beat/Merriman River Group February 12-15, 2014 | 37% | 37% | 26% | +/-3.1 | 643 | ||||||||||||||
| Honolulu Star-Advertiser February 1-11, 2014 | 47% | 38% | 14% | +/-4.3 | 528 | ||||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 40.5% | 43.5% | 15.75% | +/-3.43 | 698.75 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
General Election Hypothetical Match-up
| Three way match-up (includes Hannemann) | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Neil Abercrombie* (D) | Duke Aiona (R) | Mufi Hannemann (I) | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | |||||||||||||
| Honolulu Civil Beat/Merriman River Group June 7-9, 2014 | 27% | 33% | 22% | +/-3.0 | 1,078 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Abercrombie vs. Aiona | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Neil Abercrombie* (D) | Duke Aiona (R) | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| Honolulu Star-Advertiser February 1-11, 2014 | 40% | 48% | 12% | +/-3.9 | 642 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Race background
Ige defeats Abercrombie
In the Democratic primary election, state Sen. David Ige defeated Gov. Neil Abercrombie.[15][16][17] Prior to this primary, the last governor of Hawaii to lose a re-election campaign was Gov. William Francis Quinn (R) in 1962. Quinn lost to John Anthony Burns (D) in the general election.[18]
The week before the primary was held, a Honolulu Civil Beat poll of likely voters found Ige with 51 percent support to Abercrombie's 41 percent support.[19] Abercrombie was endorsed in the primary by President Barack Obama (D). Ige was endorsed by former governors Ben Cayetano and George Ariyoshi.
A New York Times article written two months before the primary election suggested that Abercrombie faced a more difficult re-election campaign due to his appointment of Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz (D) to the U.S. Senate in December 2012 following the death of Sen. Daniel Inouye (D). In a letter written before his death, Inouye requested the appointment of Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D) to his seat. The article argued that this decision sparked "a backlash that threatens to topple both Mr. Schatz and the governor — who had already been struggling during an occasionally tumultuous first term — in the Democratic primary on Aug. 9."[20]
In the aftermath of the primary, Abercrombie attributed his defeat to his decision to call a special session to legalize gay marriage in November 2013. He claimed that Republican opponents voted for Ige in the open Democratic primary. "Republicans crossed over en masse to vote in the Democratic primary, and then the religious factor came in," Abercrombie said.
Ige supported Abercrombie's decision to call for the special session. A spokeswoman for Ige's campaign, Lynn Kenton, said, "every candidate has the freedom to comment on their campaign, regardless of the outcome, and if that's what Gov. Abercrombie feels was his weaknesses, that would be for him to determine." [21]
Hawaii Lieutenant Governor
General election
Shan Tsutsui - Incumbent
Elwin Ahu[2]
Les Chang[2]
Cindy Marlin[22]
Defeated in primary
Clayton Hee - State Sen.[23]
Sam Puletasi - State Medical Board Member[2]
Miles Shiratori - Lifeguard, Real Estate Investor[2]
Mary Zanakis - Television documentary producer[24]
Kimo Sutton[25]
| Hawaii Lieutenant Governor, Democratic Primary | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Shan Tsutsui* | Clayton Hee | Mary Zanakis | Miles Shiratori | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||
| Hawaii News Now Poll July 2014 | 36% | 34% | 7% | 2% | 21% | +/-4.6 | 458 | ||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Race background
Shan Tsutsui (D) became Hawaii Lieutenant Governor following his appointment by Gov. Neil Abercrombie on December 27, 2012.[26] Tsutsui was tapped to fill the role vacated by former-Lt. Gov Brian E. Schatz (D), whom Abercrombie had appointed to replace the late Daniel Inouye (D) in the U.S. Senate, effective December 26.[27] Tsutsui will serve out the remainder of Schatz's term, ending in January of 2015, and ran for a full term as lieutenant governor in November 2014.[28][29]
See also
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- Hawaii elections, 2014
- Hawaii Gubernatorial election, 2014
- Hawaii Lieutenant Gubernatorial election, 2014
- Hawaii state executive official elections, 2014
Footnotes
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Hurricanes roil historic Hawaii primary and could boost challengers," August 7, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 Hawaii Division of Elections, "2014 Primary Candidate List: Certified," June 10, 2014 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "candlist" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "candlist" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "candlist" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed July 19, 2024
- ↑ Hawaii State Legislature, "Hawaii Revised Statutes §12-31," accessed July 19, 2024
- ↑ State of Hawaii - Office of Elections, "Home page," accessed January 3, 2014
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedduke - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedige - ↑ Jeff Davis for Governor 2014 Official campaign website, "Meet Jeff," accessed February 18, 2014
- ↑ Hawaii News Now, "Hannemann supporters reach goal, will Mufi run?" February 21, 2014
- ↑ Neil Abercrombie for Governor 2014 Official Campaign Website, "Homepage," accessed September 3, 2013
- ↑ Hawaii News Now, "Clayton Hee announces run for Lt. Governor," May 11, 2014
- ↑ Mary Zanakis for Lieutenant Governor 2014 Official campaign website, "Homepage" accessed June 30, 2014
- ↑ Kimo Sutton for Lieutenant Governor 2014 Official campaign website, "Homepage," accessed June 30, 2014
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 West Hawaii Today, "Nonpartisans in Hawaii governor race disqualified," June 25, 2014
- ↑ Real Clear Politics, "2014 Governor Races, Ratings Map," accessed June 30, 2014
- ↑ Hawaii Division of Elections, "Primary Election 2014 Results - Final Summary Report," accessed May 7, 2021
- ↑ Politico, "Schatz-Hanabusa race too close to call," August 10, 2014
- ↑ Honolulu Civil Beat, "Ige Holds Healthy Lead Over Abercrombie in Hawaii Governor’s Race," June 12, 2014
- ↑ Honolulu Civil Beat, "Civil Beat Poll: Ige Maintains Solid Lead Over Abercrombie," July 31, 2014
- ↑ The New York Times, "A Disregarded Request From a Beloved Senator Shakes Up Hawaii’s Primary," June 29, 2014
- ↑ USA Today, "Hawaii gov. blames political loss on gay marriage," August 30, 2014
- ↑ Hawaii Reporter, "Hawaii's Libertarian Candidates Field Record Number of Candidates," June 9, 2014
- ↑ Hawaii News Now, "Clayton Hee announces run for Lt. Governor," May 11, 2014
- ↑ Mary Zanakis for Lieutenant Governor 2014 Official campaign website, "Homepage" accessed June 30, 2014
- ↑ Kimo Sutton for Lieutenant Governor 2014 Official campaign website, "Homepage," accessed June 30, 2014
- ↑ Hawaii Reporter, "Senate President Shan Tsutsui Named Hawaii's 12th Lieutenant Governor," December 27, 2012
- ↑ Star Advertiser, "Abercrombie picks Schatz to replace Inouye in U.S. Senate," December 26, 2012
- ↑ Star Advertiser, "Tsutsui announces run to keep lieutenant governor's seat" accessed June 14, 2013
- ↑ Hawaii News Now, "Tsutsui begins lieutenant gov re-election campaign" accessed June 14, 2013
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