How did Bush do so well in Hawaii?

[super6646]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election_in_Hawaii,_2004

How did Bush get 45% of the vote back in 2004? I mean Hawaii is a solidly democratic state, and even his father did worse than him back in 1988 (which was a landslide). No republican to date has come close to 45% in Hawaii, so how did Bush do so well in a state that is usually solidly democratic?

[Hydera]

The economy in Hawaii was stagnant in the 90s mainly because of there was a lot of commercial building boom and demand for services in the 80s that started falling in the 90s. Hawaii from 1992 to 1998 had a long period of negative job growth.



Despite mid and late 90s being a good period hawaii for some reason didnt rebounce like the rest of the country did. However by 1999 the state bottomed and started increasing jobs. However there was a slumb in the economy in late 2001 due to 9/11 affecting the travel industry. Then by 2002 Laura Lingle is elected promising to boost the state economy and was given credit for the rebounding economy in the state along with Bush.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

I wonder if Bush winning HI was ever possible in any realistic universe.

[The Govanah Jake]

Incumbency factor also helps quite a bit.

[Obama-Biden Democrat]

Asians for some reason have a deep respect for incumbency. Look at 2012,2004,1996,1984,1980 .

[twenty42]

I wonder if Bush winning HI was ever possible in any realistic universe.

Maybe if 9/11 happened in 2004 instead of 2001...

[America's Sweetheart ❤/𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕭𝖔𝖔𝖙𝖞 𝖂𝖆𝖗𝖗𝖎𝖔𝖗]

I wonder if Bush winning HI was ever possible in any realistic universe.

He "only" lost it by about 9%, if he had really gone all out and campaigned there he probably could've won it but it would've been a waste of time and resources since it only has 4 Electoral Votes.

[Del Tachi]

Hawaii, Virginia and Southern California all have a pro-incumbent bent

[TDAS04]

Asians for some reason have a deep respect for incumbency. Look at 2012,2004,1996,1984,1980 .

And especially 1972 and 1964.

[nclib]

Asians for some reason have a deep respect for incumbency. Look at 2012,2004,1996,1984,1980 .

Hawaii is particularly pro-incumbent; Asians elsewhere are less so. Asians voted Dole in 1996.

[America Needs a 13-6 Progressive SCOTUS]

Asians for some reason have a deep respect for incumbency. Look at 2012,2004,1996,1984,1980 .

Hawaii is particularly pro-incumbent; Asians elsewhere are less so. Asians voted Dole in 1996.

I have a feeling it will end this streak by trending Dem in 2020.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Hawaii went for Nixon in 1972 something like 62-38, and it carried for Reagan in 1984 by a lesser, but decisive, margin.

[Anzeigenhauptmeister]

Did Bush win Oʻahu beyond the 1st congressional district?

[UWS]

Here is why the Republicans had so much confidence in Hawaii and why Dubya did so well in HI partly thanks to Dick Cheney’s visit there

At that time HI had the lowest jobless rate in the nation, was in the midst of a construction boom and tourism was soaring at the point that 50000 jobs were created in HI in the three years preceding the election which the Republicans also attributed to the Bush tax cuts to say they’re working. The Republicans’ strategy included that the memory of Pearl Harbor resonates with the memory of 9/11 and would lead to the appreciation of Dubya’s response to it. 10000 Hawaii based troops were fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq
http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/10/29/fri/index.html
And what’s interesting is that Dubya won 46% of HI’s Hispanic voters and 48% of Asian voters which definitely helped Dubya to narrow the gap in HI but it’s wise of Dubya to spend more time in OH which helped Dubya to win re-election
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/HI/P/00/epolls.0.html

[UWS]

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/HI/P/00/epolls.0.html
And also 17% of Hawaii Democrats voted for Dubya in 2004

[UWS]

I believe that among those 17 % of Hawaii Democrats who voted for Dubya in 2004 there are those who lived the memory of Pearl Harbor and didn’t recognize their party as the party of FDR, Harry Truman or JFK as America lost more people on 9/11 than during the Pearl Harbor strikes and they saw Dubya as a decisive and determined leader in the War on Terror§

[UWS]

Dubya performed even better among HI's non-white women (47%) than among this state's white women (37%)

[Frozen Sky Ever Why]

Cheney's visit was not the cause of Bush's strong performance in HI. He visited because polling showed the state competetive, the most recent one had Bush up on Kerry 46-45.

[Vice President Christian Man]

Enough residual conservatism from the Reagan years that died as a result of the fallout of Iraq/the Great Recession.