HI-1: Takai retiring

[publicunofficial]

Damn shame, I wish him the best.

Hopefully this doesn't lead to Donna Merkado Kim getting another shot at this seat. I'd even prefer Hanabusa returning over her.

[publicunofficial]

Welcome back Cotter Ed Case!

Case didn't run last time the seat was open. IIRC, he joined a lobbying firm and made a statement saying his political career was done.

[publicunofficial]

The filing deadline for Hawaii is June 7th, so we'll see this race take shape pretty quickly.

-Donna Mercado Kim has stated she is unlikely to run, but didn't rule it out.
-Former Rep. Ed Case is out
-Ex Lt. Gov Duke Aiona (R) has declined the race, but publicaly encouraged Charles Djou to try again.
-Stanley Chang, who finished 3rd in the primary, is currently running against State Sen. Sam Slom and seems unlikely to drop that bid.

[publicunofficial]

Hanabusa is very much a DLC type. Certainly can get a lot worse as far as Hawaii Democrats go (Some are literal DINO's) but it hasn't endeared her to progressives.

[publicunofficial]

Hanabusa is very much a DLC type. Certainly can get a lot worse as far as Hawaii Democrats go (Some are literal DINO's) but it hasn't endeared her to progressives.

If there's someone who can get more seniority in the seat and is more liberal I'd probably like them, but Hanabusa is a strong, safe choice.

Agreed. The chances of an open seat attracting someone WORSE than Hanabusa (Donna Kim) is far more likely than the chances of attracting someone more progressive.

[publicunofficial]

So why did Gabbard endorse Sanders? I was very surprised when I heard about that.

Appealing to Hawaii primary voters.

[publicunofficial]

Not quite. He was wondering why so many Democrats suddenly had a boner for Gabbard. Aside from her looks (no pun intended), it was due to her resigning from the DNC and endorsing Bernie. I doubt many of them even know about her "colorful" past.

To be fair, though, some of the biggest Bernie supporters were the same people calling her out for acting like a magic progressive 4 years ago. I don't think it's lost on anyone her past, but many, including me, have chosen to forget it considering the dramatic U-Turn she's made.

There's also plenty of r/sanders4president types who are completely ignorant of any politician who isn't Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton. There are people on there who legit believe that Colin Peterson and Dan Lipinski are progressive stalwarts.

[publicunofficial]

Not quite. He was wondering why so many Democrats suddenly had a boner for Gabbard. Aside from her looks (no pun intended), it was due to her resigning from the DNC and endorsing Bernie. I doubt many of them even know about her "colorful" past.

To be fair, though, some of the biggest Bernie supporters were the same people calling her out for acting like a magic progressive 4 years ago. I don't think it's lost on anyone her past, but many, including me, have chosen to forget it considering the dramatic U-Turn she's made.

There's also plenty of r/sanders4president types who are completely ignorant of any politician who isn't Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton. There are people on there who legit believe that Colin Peterson and Dan Lipinski are progressive stalwarts.

I really can't comprehend that; if you're that pumped about politics, why don't you check out lower-level candidates to see if you can help similar candidates to Bernie?

They're not pumped about politics. They're pumped about Bernie. They're more enthused about primarying Hillary backers than taking out any Republicans.

[publicunofficial]

Djou is not running for the seat, will run for Honolulu Mayor instead.

[publicunofficial]

RIP. I didn't expect much from him when he was elected, and he surprised me by being a stalwart progressive during his short time in office.