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United States Senate election in Hawaii, 2018
General election
General election for U.S. Senate Hawaii
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Mazie K. Hirono (D) | 71.2 | 276,316 |
 | Ron Curtis (R)  | 28.8 | 112,035 | |
| Total votes: 388,351 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 9
- Early voting: Oct. 23 - Nov. 3
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: Yes
- Voter ID: Non-photo ID
- Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
2022 →
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| U.S. Senate, Hawaii |
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| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: June 5, 2018 |
| Primary: August 11, 2018 General: November 6, 2018 Pre-election incumbent: Mazie Hirono (Democrat) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Voting in Hawaii |
| Race ratings |
Inside Elections: Solid Democratic Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018 |
| See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd Hawaii elections, 2018 U.S. Congress elections, 2018 U.S. Senate elections, 2018 U.S. House elections, 2018 |
Voters in Hawaii elected one member to the U.S. Senate in the election on November 6, 2018.
The election filled the Class 1 Senate seat held by Mazie Hirono (D), who filed for re-election. She was first elected in 2012.
Candidates and election results
General election
General election for U.S. Senate Hawaii
Incumbent Mazie K. Hirono defeated Ron Curtis in the general election for U.S. Senate Hawaii on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mazie K. Hirono (D) | 71.2 | 276,316 |
| Ron Curtis (R) | 28.8 | 112,035 | |
| Total votes: 388,351 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Hawaii
Incumbent Mazie K. Hirono advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Hawaii on August 11, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mazie K. Hirono | 100.0 | 201,604 |
| Total votes: 201,604 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. Senate Hawaii
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Hawaii on August 11, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ron Curtis | 23.7 | 6,370 |
 | Consuelo Anderson | 19.3 | 5,166 | |
 | Robert Helsham | 14.9 | 3,988 | |
| Thomas E. White | 13.6 | 3,657 | ||
 | Roque De La Fuente | 11.4 | 3,060 | |
 | George Berish | 6.2 | 1,658 | |
 | Michael Hodgkiss | 5.9 | 1,575 | |
 | Eddie Pirkowski | 5.1 | 1,357 | |
| Total votes: 26,831 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for U.S. Senate Hawaii
No candidate advanced from the primary.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
 | Arturo Reyes | 38.0 | 441 | |
| Charles Haverty | 35.9 | 416 | ||
| Matthew Maertens | 26.1 | 303 | ||
Vote totals may be incomplete for this race. | ||||
| Total votes: 1,160 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
Mazie Hirono
Hirono’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Seniors Growing up in a multigenerational household, Mazie knows firsthand the importance of respecting and caring for our kupuna. She has carried those values with her to the Senate, where she’s worked to make sure we keep the promises we’ve made to our seniors. Mazie knows that Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are a lifeline for millions of seniors in Hawaii and across the country. She has fought against every attempt to privatize, voucherize, or place a cap on funding for Medicare and has spoken out against Republican efforts to use the program as a political pawn. In the Senate, she pushed back against Republican attempts to balance the budget on the backs of our kupuna by gutting Social Security. At a time when too many seniors are struggling to make ends meet, Mazie is fighting to expand Social Security, introducing legislation like the Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act, which would “scrap the cap” and ensure the wealthy pay their fair share to keep Social Security strong for all. Her bill would also extend the life of Social Security and ensure our seniors’ incomes stay ahead of rising costs. Like many in Hawaii who are caregivers for elderly parents or grandparents, Mazie understands from firsthand experience that it is critical that our kupuna have access to the prescription medicine and care that they need. She supports legislation to lower skyrocketing drug costs for seniors enrolled in Medicare Part D, and introduced bipartisan legislation to expand access to shingles vaccinations. She was proud to co-sponsor the Older Americans Act Reauthorization of 2016 – signed into law by President Obama – which renewed and expanded critical federal programs that provided nutrition assistance; caregiver support; senior centers; transportation; and other resources that help seniors. She has also fought against the Trump administration’s efforts to eliminate the Corporation for National and Community Service, which funds the Senior Corps program to give seniors in Hawaii and nationwide the opportunity to continue to serve their communities. Health Care Mazie believes that health care is a right – not a privilege – and knows firsthand how much access to quality, affordable health care means to Hawaii’s families. Growing up, her family didn’t have health insurance until her mom was able to find a job that provided it. Her biggest fear was that her mom, the family’s sole breadwinner, would get sick – and getting sick meant no pay. Running low on money for food and rent at the end of the month was not uncommon. Beyond her experiences growing up, Mazie understands personally that we are all only one diagnosis away from a major illness. In 2017, after a routine physical before eye surgery, her doctors discovered an abnormality on her chest x-ray. This was later diagnosed as kidney cancer. Because she had health insurance, Mazie was able to receive the care she needed without worrying if she would be able to afford it. Mazie believes we should all have accessible and affordable health care. No family should be faced with financial ruin when they are battling a major illness. For this reason, Mazie is a co-sponsor of Senator Bernie Sanders’ (D-VT) Medicare For All Act to create a universal, single-payer health care system for everyone in our country. While we work to provide health care for all as a right and not a privilege, Mazie will continue to fight to expand access to quality, affordable health care – including fighting to restore Medicaid eligibility for Compact of Free Association (COFA) citizens. As a member of the U.S. House, she worked to pass the Affordable Care Act while helping preserve Hawaii’s Prepaid Health Care law, which has contributed to Hawaii having one of the highest rates of insurance coverage in the nation. She will continue to fight to expand Medicaid, defend the Children’s Health Insurance Program, protect Medicare, and fund community health centers. To further help seniors with skyrocketing costs, she is a co-sponsor of legislation to help bring down prescription drug prices by allowing Medicare to negotiate directly with drug companies. Mazie has been a passionate advocate for those health- and health care-related challenges that are unique to Hawaii, like ensuring federal funding for Hansen’s disease patients and protecting funding for Native Hawaiian health programs. Throughout her time in public service, Mazie has been a proponent of robust reproductive and maternal health care; fair contraceptive coverage; and safe, legal abortion options for women. While she recognizes there are deeply held beliefs on both sides of the issue, she believes that a woman’s right to choose is a fundamental, constitutionally-protected right that she will continue to fight to preserve. Health insurance is only one piece of our health care puzzle. Mazie has been an advocate for resources to expand and promote Hawaii’s health care workforce so that we have the quality doctors and nurses our communities need. She has successfully fought to improve access to services for Hawaii’s veterans by securing leases for new clinics across the state. She has also been a strong advocate for providing stable, robust federal funding for biomedical research. Veterans Hawaii’s veterans and military families have made countless sacrifices for our nation, and Mazie is fighting to ensure they receive the benefits and care they have earned. As a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs and Armed Services Committees, she has championed legislation to expand access to health services, end veteran homelessness, and honor veterans whose service has gone unrecognized for too many years. We made our veterans a promise to take care of them when they return home. In the Senate, Mazie has listened to veterans across the state and fought to hold the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) accountable when it mistreats or underserves our veterans. She developed a three-pronged Veterans Action Plan to outline her priorities in addressing the most pressing issues facing our veterans: the need for better access to services through communication and collaboration between veterans, their communities, and the VA; improving veterans’ transition to civilian life; and timely access to health care for veterans throughout all of the islands. Mazie has secured millions in funding to build new VA facilities and expand and enhance staffing at existing facilities in Hawaii. She has also worked to improve the process of receiving care by co-sponsoring legislation to reform the claims appeals process. Mazie collaborated with colleagues across the aisle to expand telehealth access for veterans, provide additional paid sick leave for veterans in federal service, and to fund a program to provide coverage for severely disabled veterans to receive adult day health services. She worked to eliminate a rule that had prevented veterans from being reimbursed for emergency care and to make sure that Native Hawaiian veterans will continue to have access to health care services through their community clinics. She has also successfully advocated for federal investments in new clinics for veterans throughout the state. Veterans are not immune to the struggle of homelessness. Mazie has been recognized as a national leader in the effort to reduce veteran homelessness, and has worked across the aisle to pass legislation to extend critical programs aimed at providing tools and resources to the organizations in Hawaii dedicated to reducing homelessness among veterans. Mazie also recognizes that the transition from active military service to civilian life can be hard for veterans and their families. She has supported improvements to the Transition Assistance Program and co-sponsored the Forever GI Bill, which permanently expands access to educational resources for Hawaii’s veterans. She has also worked to cut red tape for veterans and their families so they can quickly and easily receive the benefits they have earned. Often overlooked in our nation’s history are veterans from other nations who answered America’s call-to-arms and fought under the American flag. In World War II, that included more than 250,000 Filipino and Filipino-American soldiers. In the Senate, Mazie worked with the Hawaii Congressional delegation to honor the sacrifice of these men and their families by securing the Congressional Gold Medal for Filipino veterans of World War II. She also worked extensively on reuniting these veterans with their families living overseas, and authored legislation to keep the VA in Manila open, providing vital health services to thousands of beneficiaries in the Indo-Asia-Pacific. Education Mazie knows firsthand how important a quality education is for our keiki. When she came to the United States from Japan as a child, she learned to speak English in Hawaii’s public schools. Mazie went on to graduate from Kaimuki High School and the University of Hawaii, becoming the first in her family to attend college. Mazie recognizes the challenge of college affordability, having paid for her undergraduate and law school educations through a combination of working and student loans. Because of her understanding of how impactful early education can be for our keiki, Mazie has worked continuously for its protection and is nationally recognized for her leadership in advocating for universal Pre-K. She has introduced legislation to expand Pre-K in Hawaii and across the U.S. through federal-state partnerships. She has also spoken out against cuts to early education funding, and helped facilitate grants to expand early childhood education for Native Hawaiians. In addition to expanding access to early education, Mazie supports increasing grant funding for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education for Native Hawaiians and other minorities, and worked with her colleagues from Hawaii to reauthorize the Native Hawaiian Education Act, which funds Native Hawaiian education programs across the state. The reauthorization was included as part of the 2015 Elementary and Secondary Education Reauthorization Act. Skyrocketing college tuition has put higher education out of reach for many families. Mazie has teamed up with some of Congress’s biggest education champions, including Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), to tackle the issue of college affordability by introducing the Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act. This bill would help ensure that Pell Grants can keep up with the cost of college, and that families can rely on their Pell Grant support for their entire higher education journey. She also successfully championed a provision to restore year-round Pell Grants to help students who are taking summer and winter classes. She was an original co-sponsor of Senator Elizabeth Warren’s (D-MA) Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act, aimed at providing relief for students struggling under the weight of their loans, and has been a longtime supporter of legislation to allow student loans to be discharged in bankruptcy. Mazie recognizes that Hawaii’s future economy relies on creating good-paying jobs, and ensuring that we retain the homegrown talent of our island students, especially through increasing opportunities for women and minorities in the STEM fields. Mazie brought the Senate Small Business Committee to Maui in 2016 to share what federal agencies are doing to support STEM education, and to make sure that federal decision makers heard directly from Hawaii’s educators, students, and others about their needs and successes. She has led on these issues by authoring the STEM Booster Act, which would provide resources for promoting diversity and inclusion in STEM fields through mentoring, internships, and other outreach to underrepresented communities. In 2015, Mazie successfully included provisions of her STEM Opportunities Act in the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act, which was signed into law by President Obama, to promote inclusion in the higher education STEM fields. Mazie also introduced the Patsy T. Mink Gender Equity in Education Act, which would provide states, universities, school districts and schools with more resources to implement Representative Patsy Mink’s landmark Title IX law, which promotes gender equity in educational opportunities. Economic Security When Mazie first arrived from Japan, her mother worked in low-wage positions with little job security. Being raised by a single mother, Mazie knows from firsthand experience what it is like for a family to live paycheck to paycheck and run short of money at the end of the month. She understands the importance of economic security and a strong middle class in order to provide for shared prosperity. Equal pay for equal work is the law, yet women are still paid less than their male counterparts for the same work. Mazie has co-sponsored the Equal Pay Act throughout her time in the Senate, which would prohibit discrimination in pay based on gender and provide legal avenues for those who have been discriminated against because of their gender. Mazie’s own experience growing up showed her that it’s important to give workers the tools they need to care for their loved ones, from keiki to kupuna. Hawaii is among the most expensive states for childcare and long-term care. Childcare is the second biggest expense for Hawaii families after housing costs. Mazie co-sponsored the Child Care for Working Families Act to increase access to affordable, high-quality childcare for all families. She has also co-sponsored the FAMILY Act, which would allow workers to take time away from work to recover from an illness or to care for family members without risking their jobs or financial security. Economic security also extends to making sure that all workers have the resources they need for retirement. Long-term care costs are another cause of stress for seniors and Hawaii families, and Mazie knows that providing economic security for our kupuna means we must protect and strengthen Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. That is why she has also introduced legislation that would provide states with resources to plan for and provide long-term care services in innovative ways that meet the unique needs of local communities. One of the best ways to care for seniors is to allow them to age in place, but in order for this to happen we must come up with new and innovative ways to provide the services and care they need. Mazie also recognizes that we need to build a future where more opportunities and good-paying jobs are created in Hawaii, and that local people have the skills needed to get those jobs. To do that, she has been a strong advocate for investing in community development to create jobs, supporting small businesses, and expanding educational opportunities. She has been a dedicated advocate for improving the quality of our public schools, from Pre-K to college, and for federal resources to promote technical and vocational training programs at community colleges. In addition to ensuring the education and training Hawaii families need to get ahead in today’s economy, Mazie knows that the federal government can and should assist in job creation through infrastructure investment. For every $1 billion in federal money invested in highway and transit projects, approximately 13,000 jobs are created or supported. She’s worked to support rural development projects and U.S. Department of Transportation’s TIGER grant program (initiated by President Obama) to support shovel-ready projects in Hawaii that help create jobs for Hawaii’s workers. She also supported the creation of the National Housing Trust Fund to provide states with dedicated resources for affordable housing development, and has fought against the Trump administration’s efforts to gut needed investments in federal community development and affordable housing programs like the successful HOME Investment Partnerships, Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), and resources for addressing homelessness. Small businesses are also vital to Hawaii’s economy. As a member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Mazie has championed initiatives to increase investment in businesses across the state in areas like clean energy, manufacturing, technology, and research and development. She supports increased funding opportunities, technical assistance, tax credits, and expanded federal contracting opportunities for small businesses, particularly those owned by women, veterans, and minorities. Mazie believes that our tax code should support working families and small businesses, not corporations and the wealthiest Americans. She strongly opposed Donald Trump’s massive tax cut for the rich and has fought to expand the Earned Income and Child Tax Credits that help families across Hawaii, as well as other efforts that help workers and small businesses get a leg up. While big corporations are making massive profits and getting big tax cuts, we need to ensure that workers have the right to organize. Mazie recognizes that collective bargaining by unions on behalf of their members helped create the middle class, and she opposes so-called “Right to Work” initiatives that undermine the ability of unions to make sure workers are treated fairly, She has also spoken out strongly against billionaire-funded efforts to weaken unions through the courts. In 2017, in light of attacks by the Trump administration and powerful private interests, she introduced legislation to push back against attempts to erode these same protections for federal workers. Energy & Environment For centuries, Native Hawaiians understood the importance of conservation and protecting our aina. Today, many in Hawaii carry on this principle through their families and their businesses. In the Senate, Mazie has used those principles as a guide to advance policies that conserve, protect, and preserve the lands and waters in and around our island state for future generations. Mazie has fought back against the Trump administration’s attacks on common sense climate protections and other environmental regulations. She has also led the way in resisting Trump nominees – including Scott Pruitt and Ryan Zinke – who deny climate science, support exploiting our public lands for fossil fuel production, and oppose investments in a clean energy future. Mazie recognizes that Hawaii’s leadership on clean energy is an opportunity to grow our economy and create good-paying jobs. She has introduced the 21st Century Energy Workforce Act to provide job training resources for Native Hawaiians, veterans, and others to gain the skills necessary to succeed in a clean energy economy. As a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Mazie has called for our country to follow Hawaii’s lead in enacting a national renewable energy standard, and supported policies and reforms that promote sustainable energy production. She has spoken out against the Trump administration’s executive order focused on increasing coal production, and voted against the Keystone XL pipeline and opening the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge to drilling. She has been a strong advocate for additional federal resources to strengthen Hawaii’s ability to harness sustainable, locally-produced clean energy by investing in research and development by the U.S. military and other federal agencies in our state. Her Grid Modernization Act would provide resources for updating and improving our electricity systems and move away from dirty energy sources. Mazie has also fought to renew and preserve tax incentives for the production of clean energy while co-sponsoring legislation to take away the billions in tax benefits that Big Oil receives on a permanent basis. Mazie believes that our National Parks and Refuge systems represent some of the most unique and beautiful areas in Hawaii and across the country and should be protected and accessible to all for generations to come. She supported President Obama’s creation of the Pacific Remote Islands and expansion of Papahanaumokuakea, and has since expressed concerns over attempts to roll back protections of these Marine National Monuments. During her time as lead Democrat on the National Parks Subcommittee, she emerged as a crucial voice critical of the Interior Department’s leadership under Trump, which has proposed deep budget cuts, marginalized professional career staff who are already overworked, and sought to raise entrance fees to our national parks. She has worked to shed light on the systemic sexual assault and harassment culture that exists within the National Parks System, and will continue to do so until it is eradicated. Civil Rights Every day, the Trump administration and conservative special interests present new threats to civil rights, social justice, and minority communities. Mazie has consistently fought to protect the rights of all Americans and is a leader in the resistance against the Trump administration’s attacks on the fundamental values of our country. As Lieutenant Governor, Mazie was the highest-ranking state elected official in Hawaii to oppose the 1998 amendment to the state constitution allowing the legislature to ban same sex marriage. Since that time, there has been a welcome cultural shift and same sex marriage is now protected under the law. She is a co-sponsor of the Equality Act, comprehensive and necessary legislation that would ban discrimination against LGBTQ individuals in employment, housing, access to credit, jury service, and other areas. Last year, Mazie joined her colleagues in encouraging the Department of Justice to continue crucial programs to protect LGBTQ youth. Mazie is leading the charge against the Trump administration’s dangerous judicial nominees as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. During nomination hearings for now-Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, Mazie pressed him on his views on key cases, such as those related to civil rights and campaign finance reform, and ultimately opposed his nomination. The Trump administration has nominated some of the least qualified candidates in our nation’s history to lifetime appointments on the federal bench. Mazie has questioned their prior partisan political positions, lack of relevant experience, and fair-mindedness. To retain focus on the issue of sexual harassment and assault, she asks every nominee, who appear before all of the Senate committees on which she serves, under oath, whether they have a history of sexual assault or harassment. Mazie was an original co-sponsor of legislation to defund President Trump’s discriminatory and partisan voter fraud commission, co-sponsored legislation to overturn the Muslim ban, and authored the Korematsu-Takai Civil Liberties Protection Act with Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) to ensure that national disgraces like the Japanese internment during World War II never happen again. She is a staunch supporter of the Voting Rights Act, but knows that we need to continue to strengthen and build up protections so that voters in Hawaii and our country can continue to exercise their most basic rights unimpeded. Immigration Reform Mazie’s life changed when she was nearly eight years old. Her mother Laura fled an abusive marriage in Japan to bring her children to the United States in search of a better life. It wasn’t easy, but they worked hard and built a life for themselves in America. Her experience growing up as an immigrant in this country continues to motivate and influence her fight for a fair, compassionate, and understanding immigration system. Like so many immigrant families, Mazie grew up in a multigenerational household. She knows that keeping families together is critically important. That is why she has fought so hard to preserve family unity as a guiding principle in our country’s immigration policies, and against attempts to demonize family reunification as “chain migration.” Mazie has been a powerful and consistent voice in the Senate on behalf of DREAMers and has fought back against the Trump administration’s cruel and unnecessary decision to end the DACA program. Mazie also called on the Supreme Court to uphold the DAPA program for parents of DREAMers and keep families together. As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Mazie took a lead role during the debate on Comprehensive Immigration Reform in 2013. Mazie fought to include several provisions important for families in Hawaii and across the country – including one to ensure our immigration policies would be fair to women. Mazie helped establish a mobile biometrics program so residents on the Neighbor Islands can apply for immigration benefits without having to travel to Oahu. Mazie co-sponsored legislation to ban immigration restrictions based on religion, and spoke out against the demonization of immigrants during the debate and implementation of the Trump administration’s Muslim ban. National Security As a member of the Senate Armed Services, Veterans’ Affairs, and Judiciary Committees, Mazie has been deeply involved in ensuring our nation is prepared to respond to any threat that arises – while prioritizing constructive, proactive diplomatic solutions to avoid potential conflicts – and making sure that we support our servicemembers and their families all the way through from enlistment, to deployment, to the transition back into our communities. Mazie understands that our national security isn’t just about our military strength, it’s also about leading by example. As one of the Senate’s leading voices for a progressive foreign policy, she has been a staunch advocate for pursuing diplomatic solutions to the serious international challenges we face on issues like global nuclear proliferation; the destabilizing actions taken by the regimes of Iran, Russia, North Korea, and Syria; and the ever-growing influence of China. Mazie believes that America should stand up for human rights, lead the global effort to fight climate change, pursue a shared approach to alleviating poverty, and improve the health and well-being of those around the globe. To ensure that the U.S. remains a beacon of hope for those fleeing oppression, Mazie has stood strong against the Trump administration’s efforts to gut the State Department and engage in a foreign policy based on xenophobia and fear. Diplomacy and cooperation should be the cornerstone of keeping our nation safe, but at the same time we cannot ignore the reality that our military must remain strong in order to back those efforts. As the gateway to the Indo-Asia-Pacific, Hawaii plays a critical role in our national security. The U.S. Pacific Command is headquartered on Oahu, and tens of thousands of military families and veterans call Hawaii home. In the Senate, Mazie has supported initiatives to protect Hawaii from the growing North Korean threat, while simultaneously promoting vigorous diplomacy to de-escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula. In the annual National Defense Authorization process, Mazie continues to fight for Hawaii’s priorities, ensuring necessary resources and funding for Pacific Command; promoting military use of clean energy and energy efficiency technologies that reduce costs and risks to our servicemembers; strengthening the Services’ energy resiliency; promoting research projects with local institutions; and pursuing programs to increase stability for military families. As Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee’s Seapower Subcommittee, Mazie oversees the budget and functioning of Navy and Marine Corps programs. Mazie stands with Hawaii’s servicemembers, veterans, and their families and has worked with her colleagues to shed light on the scourge of sexual assault in the military. She introduced bipartisan legislation that would ensure that victims get the justice they deserve by putting the decision to prosecute these crimes in the hands of an impartial military prosecutors, not potentially-biased military commanders. She has previously supported legislation to provide an attorney to victims of sexual assault in the military. Mazie has been recognized by veterans’ organizations for her work to help end veteran homelessness, and continues to fight to make sure that our veterans get the benefits they have earned and the care they deserve.[1] |
” |
| —Mazie Hirono’s campaign website (2018)[2] | ||
Ron Curtis
Curtis' campaign website stated the following:
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The purpose of government is to serve the people. Government is charged with the responsibility to craft long-term solutions rather than short-term fixes. We have to hold our government accountable for securing the safety of our ‘Ohana, for expanding our economy, and for promoting fairness and justice for all the people of Hawai’i. “I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government” -Henry David Thoreau Core campaign principles:
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” |
| —Ron Curtis’s campaign website (2018)[3] | ||
Key votes
Key votes cast by Hirono
Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) cast the following key votes—votes that help citizens understand where their legislators stand on major policy issues—during the 115th Congress, which convened on January 3, 2017, and adjourned on January 3, 2019.
| Click show to see key votes for Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) → |
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Key votes: 115th Congress, 2017-2018
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Campaign finance
The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mazie K. Hirono | Democratic Party | $4,943,817 | $4,024,270 | $996,873 | As of December 31, 2018 |
| Ron Curtis | Republican Party | $19,925 | $19,926 | $0 | As of December 14, 2018 |
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Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2018. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
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Noteworthy events
Brett Kavanaugh confirmation vote
- See also: Supreme Court vacancy, 2018: An overview
On October 6, 2018, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. Fifty Senators voted to confirm Kavanaugh's nomination, 48 voted against, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voted present. A simple majority was required to confirm Kavanaugh.[44]
Hirono voted against Kavanaugh's confirmation. She released a statement announcing she would vote no, saying, "Donald Trump long ago announced his intention to nominate a judge off of a list prepared by the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation. When it became clear he chose the one person from that list who believes Presidents should not be subject to criminal investigations or civil suits, I knew that nominee would have a very heavy burden of proof. Given his lengthy record of partisan political activity, I could not give him the benefit of the doubt. I have spent the last six weeks reading Judge Kavanaugh’s opinions and dissents from his time on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, law review articles he has written, and speeches he has made. I have also reviewed the relatively few documents from his federal service that Judiciary Committee Senators have been allowed to see. It is clear to me that he is not a fair-minded judge and would not be a fair-minded justice."[45]
Curtis said the following about Kavanaugh. "Aloha Senator Hirono. Please show Judge Kavanaugh the Aloha and common courtesy he deserves as a supreme court nominee. We are all innocent until proven guilty. Look in the mirror to just be yourself for a moment in stepping away from establishment party politics. Meet with Judge Kavanaugh and ask him questions not as a lawyer, but from your heart and get to know him for who he is. We are all human beings and none of us are infallible. If your ideological differences still prevent you from voting for his confirmation then at least you are doing so based on your honest interactions with him and not based on partisan politics. May you walk in Truth, Light, and Aloha."[46]
Other 2018 statewide elections
This race took place in one of twenty-two states that held elections for both governor and U.S. Senate in 2018.
A table of where these elections occurred, the names of incumbents prior to the 2018 elections, and links to our coverage of these races can be viewed by clicking "[show]" on the banner below:
Wave election analysis
- See also: Wave elections (1918-2016)
The term wave election is frequently used to describe an election cycle in which one party makes significant electoral gains. How many seats would Republicans have had to lose for the 2018 midterm election to be considered a wave election?
Ballotpedia examined the results of the 50 election cycles that occurred between 1918 and 2016—spanning from President Woodrow Wilson's (D) second midterm in 1918 to Donald Trump's (R) first presidential election in 2016. We define wave elections as the 20 percent of elections in that period resulting in the greatest seat swings against the president's party.
Applying this definition to U.S. Senate elections, we found that Republicans needed to lose seven seats for 2018 to qualify as a wave election.
The chart below shows the number of seats the president's party lost in the 10 U.S. Senate waves from 1918 to 2016. Click here to read the full report.
| U.S. Senate wave elections | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | President | Party | Election type | Senate seats change | Senate majority[47] | |
| 1932 | Hoover | R | Presidential | -13 | D (flipped) | |
| 1958 | Eisenhower | R | Second midterm | -12 | D | |
| 1946 | Truman | D | First midterm | -10 | R (flipped) | |
| 1980 | Carter | D | Presidential | -9 | R (flipped) | |
| 2014 | Obama | D | Second midterm | -9 | R (flipped) | |
| 1942 | Roosevelt | D | Third midterm | -8 | D | |
| 2008 | George W. Bush | D | Presidential | -8 | D | |
| 1926 | Coolidge | R | First midterm[48] | -7 | R | |
| 1930 | Hoover | R | First midterm | -7 | R | |
| 1986 | Reagan | R | Second midterm | -7 | D (flipped) | |
Election history
2016
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated Hawaii's U.S. Senate race as safely Democratic. Incumbent Brian Schatz (D) defeated John Carroll (R), Michael Kokoski (L), Joy Allison (Constitution Party), and John Giuffre (American Shopping Party) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Schatz defeated Makani Christensen, Tutz Honeychurch, Arturo Reyes, and Miles Shiratori in the Democratic primary, while Carroll defeated Karla Gottschalk, Eddie Pirkowski, and John Roco to win the Republican nomination. The primary elections took place on August 13, 2016.[49][50]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Brian Schatz Incumbent |
73.6% | 306,604 | |
| Republican | John Carroll | 22.2% | 92,653 | |
| Constitution | Joy Allison | 2.2% | 9,103 | |
| Libertarian | Michael Kokoski | 1.6% | 6,809 | |
| American Shopping | John Giuffre | 0.3% | 1,393 | |
| Total Votes | 416,562 | |||
| Source: Hawaii Secretary of State | ||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Brian Schatz Incumbent |
86.2% | 162,905 | ||
| Makani Christensen | 6.3% | 11,899 | ||
| Miles Shiratori | 4.6% | 8,620 | ||
| Arturo Reyes | 2% | 3,820 | ||
| Tutz Honeychurch | 1% | 1,815 | ||
| Total Votes | 189,059 | |||
| Source: Hawaii Secretary of State |
||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
John Carroll |
74.6% | 26,749 | ||
| John Roco | 11% | 3,956 | ||
| Karla Gottschalk | 8.5% | 3,045 | ||
| Eddie Pirkowski | 5.9% | 2,115 | ||
| Total Votes | 35,865 | |||
| Source: Hawaii Secretary of State |
||||
2012
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mazie Hirono |
61.7% | 269,489 | |
| Republican | Linda Lingle | 36.8% | 160,994 | |
| N/A | Blank Votes | 1.5% | 6,599 | |
| Total Votes | 437,082 | |||
| Source: Hawaii Office of Elections "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
State overview
Partisan control
This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Hawaii heading into the 2018 elections.
Congressional delegation
- Following the 2016 elections, Democrats held both U.S. Senate seats in Hawaii.
- Democrats held both of the U.S. House seats in Hawaii.
State executives
- As of August 2018, Democrats held two of 10 state executive positions. The remaining eight positions were officially nonpartisan.
- The governor of Hawaii was Democrat David Ige. The state held elections for governor and lieutenant governor on November 6, 2018.
State legislature
Democrats controlled both chambers of the Hawaii State Legislature. They had a 45-6 majority in the state House and a 25-0 majority in the state Senate.
Trifecta status
- Hawaii was under a state government trifecta, meaning the Democratic Party held the governorship, a majority in the state senate, and a majority in the state house.
2018 elections
- See also: Hawaii elections, 2018
Hawaii held elections for the following positions in 2018:
- One U.S. Senate seat
- Two U.S. House seats
- Governor
- Lieutenant governor
- Thirteen state Senate seats
- Fifty-one state House of Representatives seats
- Four Honolulu City Council seats
- Two statewide ballot measures
Demographics
| Demographic data for Hawaii | ||
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 1,425,157 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 6,423 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 25.4% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 2% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 37.7% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 9.9% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 23.7% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 9.9% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 91% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 30.8% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $69,515 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 11.6% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Hawaii. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
As of July 2017, Hawaii's three largest cities were Urban Honolulu (pop. est. 350,395), East Honolulu (pop. est. 47,957), and Pearl City (pop. est. 47,241).[51]
State election history
This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Hawaii from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Hawaii Office of Elections.
Historical elections
Presidential elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Hawaii every year from 2000 to 2016.
| Election results (President of the United States), Hawaii 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2016 | Hillary Clinton |
61.0% | Donald Trump |
29.4% | 31.6% |
| 2012 | Barack Obama |
70.1% | Mitt Romney |
27.7% | 42.4% |
| 2008 | Barack Obama |
71.5% | John McCain |
26.4% | 45.1% |
| 2004 | John Kerry |
53.7% | George W. Bush |
45.0% | 8.7% |
| 2000 | Al Gore |
55.3% | George W. Bush |
37.1% | 18.2% |
U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Hawaii from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
| Election results (U.S. Senator), Hawaii 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2016 | Brian Schatz |
70.1% | John Carroll |
21.2% | 48.9% |
| 2014 | Brian Schatz |
66.8% | Cam Cavasso |
26.5% | 40.3% |
| 2012 | Mazie Hirono |
61.6% | Linda Lingle |
36.8% | 24.8% |
| 2010 | Daniel Inouye |
71.9% | Cam Cavasso |
20.7% | 51.2% |
| 2006 | Daniel Akaka |
60.3% | Cynthia Thielen |
36.1% | 24.2% |
| 2004 | Daniel Inouye |
72.7% | Cam Cavasso |
20.2% | 52.5% |
| 2000 | Daniel Akaka |
67.7% | John Carroll |
22.8% | 44.9% |
Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Hawaii.
| Election results (Governor), Hawaii 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2014 | David Ige |
49.0% | Duke Aiona |
36.7% | 12.3% |
| 2010 | Neil Abercrombie |
57.8% | Duke Aiona |
40.8% | 17.0% |
| 2006 | Linda Lingle |
49.8% | Randy Iwase |
34.9% | 14.9% |
| 2002 | Linda Lingle |
51.6% | Mazie Hirono |
47.0% | 4.6% |
Congressional delegation, 2000-2016
This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Hawaii in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.
| Congressional delegation, Hawaii 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Republicans | Republicans (%) | Democrats | Democrats (%) | Balance of power |
| 2016 | 0 |
0.0% | 2 |
100.0% | D+2 |
| 2014 | 0 |
0.0% | 2 |
100.0% | D+2 |
| 2012 | 0 |
0.0% | 2 |
100.0% | D+2 |
| 2010 | 1 |
50.0% | 1 |
50.0% | Even |
| 2008 | 0 |
0.0% | 2 |
100.0% | D+2 |
| 2006 | 0 |
0.0% | 2 |
100.0% | D+2 |
| 2004 | 0 |
0.0% | 2 |
100.0% | D+2 |
| 2002 | 0 |
0.0% | 2 |
100.0% | D+2 |
| 2000 | 0 |
0.0% | 2 |
100.0% | D+2 |
Trifectas, 1992-2017
A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.
Hawaii Party Control: 1992-2025
Twenty-six years of Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii, 2018
- United States Senate elections, 2018
- Mazie Hirono
- United States Senate election in Hawaii (August 11, 2018 Democratic primary)
- United States Senate election in Hawaii (August 11, 2018 Republican primary)
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Mazie for Hawaii U.S. Senate, "Issues," accessed October 19, 2018
- ↑ Ron Curtis for US Senate, "Campaign Platform," accessed October 19, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment with an Amendment)," December 18, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Conference Report (Conference Report to Accompany H.R. 2)," December 11, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Nomination (Confirmation Brett M. Kavanaugh, of Maryland, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States)," October 6, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture Re: Brett M. Kavanaugh to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States)," October 5, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On Passage of the Bill (H.R. 2, As Amended)," June 28, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on Amdt. No. 1959)," February 15, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on Amdt. No. 1958 As Modified)," February 15, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on Amdt. No. 1948)," February 15, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on Amdt. No. 1955)," February 15, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to the Consideration of S. 2311)," January 29, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Amendment (McConnell Amdt. No. 667)," July 28, 2017
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Amendment (Paul Amdt. No. 271 )," July 26, 2017
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Motion (Motion to Waive All Applicable Budgetary Discipline Re: Amdt. No. 270)," July 25, 2017
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Motion to Proceed (Motion to Proceed to H.R. 1628)," July 25, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Senate, "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States)," April 7, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Senate, "On the Cloture Motion (Upon Reconsideration, Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of Neil M. Gorsuch of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States)," April 6, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Senate, "On the Decision of the Chair (Shall the Decision of the Chair Stand as the Judgment of the Senate?)," April 6, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Senate, "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States)," April 6, 2017
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Conference Report (Conference Report to Accompany H.R. 6157)," September 18, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Conference Report (Conference Report to Accompany H.R. 5895)," September 12, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On Passage of the Bill (H. R. 6157 As Amended)," August 23, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On Passage of the Bill (H.R. 5895 As Amended)," June 25, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1625)," March 23, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1892 with an Amendment (SA 1930))," February 9, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 695)," February 8, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment with Further Amendment)," January 22, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 195)," January 22, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 195)," January 19, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1370)," December 21, 2017
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Motion to Recede from the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1 and Concur with Further Amendment ," December 20, 2017
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Joint Resolution (H.J. Res. 123)," December 7, 2017
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On Passage of the Bill (H.R. 1 As Amended )," December 2, 2017
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Concurrent Resolution (H. Con. Res. 71 As Amended)," October 19, 2017
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amdt. to the Senate Amdt. with an Amdt. No. 808 to H.R. 601)," September 7, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Senate, "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 244)," May 4, 2017
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Joint Resolution (S.J. Res. 54, As Amended), December 13, 2018
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On Passage of the Bill (H.R. 2810 As Amended)," September 18, 2017
- ↑ The Hill, "Senate sends $692B defense policy bill to Trump's desk," November 15, 2017
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On Passage of the Bill (H.R. 3364)," July 27, 2017
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On Passage of the Bill (S. 722 As Amended)," June 15, 2017
- ↑ New York Times, "Kavanaugh Is Sworn In After Close Confirmation Vote in Senate Video," October 6, 2018
- ↑ Mazie Hirono, "Hirono to Oppose Kavanaugh Nomination," August 22, 2018
- ↑ Facebook, "Ron Curtis for Hawaii," accessed October 12, 2018
- ↑ Denotes the party that had more seats in the U.S. House following the election.
- ↑ Calvin Coolidge's (R) first term began in August 1923 after the death of President Warren Harding (R), who was first elected in 1920. Before he had his first midterm in 1926, Coolidge was re-elected as president in 1924.
- ↑ Hawaii Secretary of State, "2016 Candidates," accessed June 8, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Hawaii Senate Races Results," August 13, 2016
- ↑ Hawaii Demographics, "Hawaii Cities by Population," accessed August 30, 2018
