2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii

Summary

The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 to elect the two U.S. representatives from the state, one from each of the state's two congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial presidential election and an election for the United States Senate. Primary elections were held on August 11, 2012.[1]

2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii

← 2010 November 6, 2012 2014 →

All 2 Hawaii seats to the United States House of Representatives
  Majority party Minority party
 
Party Democratic Republican
Last election 2 0
Seats won 2 0
Seat change Steady Steady
Popular vote 285,008 137,531
Percentage 67.45% 32.55%
Swing Increase4.57% Decrease3.31%

Democratic
  50–60%
  80–90%

Overview edit

United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii, 2012[2]
Party Votes Percentage Seats before Seats after +/–
Democratic 285,008 67.45 2 2 ±0
Republican 137,531 32.55 0 0 ±0
Totals 422,539 100.00% 2 2 ±0

District 1 edit

United States House of Representatives District 1
 
← 2010 November 6, 2012 2014 →
     
Nominee Colleen Hanabusa Charles Djou
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 114,756 95,431
Percentage 54.6% 45.4%

U.S. Representative before election

Colleen Hanabusa
Democratic

Elected U.S. Representative

Colleen Hanabusa
Democratic

Democrat Colleen Hanabusa, who was first elected to represent the 1st district in 2010, ran for re-election.[3]

Democratic primary edit

Candidates edit

Nominee edit
Eliminated in primary edit
  • Roy Wyttenbach II[4]

Primary results edit

Democratic primary results[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Colleen Hanabusa (incumbent) 92,136 84.1
Democratic Roy Wyttenbach II 17,369 15.9
Total votes 109,505 100.0

Republican primary edit

Former U.S. Representative Charles Djou, who represented the 1st district from May 2010 until January 2011, sought and received the Republican nomination to challenge Hanabusa again. He defeated C. Kaui Amsterdam and John Giuffre in the Republican primary.[6][7]

Candidates edit

Nominee edit
Eliminated in primary edit
  • C. Kaui Amsterdam
  • John Giuffre

Primary results edit

Republican primary results[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Charles Djou 25,984 95.7
Republican C. Kaui Amsterdam 799 2.9
Republican John Giuffre 376 1.4
Total votes 27,159 100.0

General election edit

Endorsements edit

Colleen Hanabusa (D)
Organizations
Charles Djou (R)
Organizations

Results edit

Hawaii's 1st congressional district, 2012[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Colleen Hanabusa (incumbent) 116,505 54.6
Republican Charles Djou 96,824 45.4
Total votes 213,329 100.0
Democratic hold

District 2 edit

United States House of Representatives District 2
 
← 2010 November 6, 2012 2014 →
     
Nominee Tulsi Gabbard Kawika Crowley
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 167,085 40,285
Percentage 80.6% 19.4%

U.S. Representative before election

Mazie Hirono
Democratic

Elected U.S. Representative

Tulsi Gabbard
Democratic

Democrat Mazie Hirono, who had represented the 2nd district since 2007, announced in May 2011 that she would run for the U.S. Senate rather than for re-election to the House.[10]

Democratic primary edit

Candidates edit

Nominee edit
Eliminated in primary edit
Declined edit

Campaign edit

Hannemann and Gabbard differed on the issue of same-sex marriage. Gabbard was opposed to the Defense of Marriage Act and to a proposed Hawaii state constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a woman and a man, while Hannemann supported DOMA.[20] Gabbard had previously opposed same-sex marriage,[21] but during the primary campaign, promised to work to repeal DOMA and co-sponsor the Respect for Marriage act.[22] Voters initially doubted the sincerity of her new views on the issue.[23]

Gabbard filed a 270-page complaint against Hannemann's spending,[24] saying that his campaign broke campaign finance laws by failing to report 2012 travel and polling expenses and improperly dealt with Hanneman's salary from a tourism association.[25]

Candidates Marx, Gabbard, and Kia'aina debated on June 5,[26] and Marx, Gabbard, Kia'aina and Hannemann debated in early July.[20]

Gabbard's ratings in the polls increased steadily and Hannemann's dropped throughout the primary campaign;[27] as of August 6, she was leading against Hanneman 49% to 29%.

Endorsements edit

Gabbard received endorsements from the Sierra Club,[8] Women Under Forty PAC,[28] Emily's List,[29] VoteVets and MauiTime.[30]

Primary results edit

On August 11, Gabbard defeated Hanneman by twenty points. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser described her win as the "improbable rise from a distant underdog to victory".[31] Gabbard credited grassroots support as the reason for her come-from-behind win in the primary.[32]

Democratic primary results[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Tulsi Gabbard 62,882 55.1
Democratic Mufi Hannemann 39,176 34.3
Democratic Esther Kia'aina 6,681 5.9
Democratic Bob Marx 4,327 3.8
Democratic Miles Shiratori 573 0.5
Democratic Rafael del Castillo 520 0.4
Total votes 114,159 100.0

Aftermath edit

Gabbard decided to resign her seat on the City Council, stating that she wanted to prevent the cost of a separate special election,[33] and resigned on August 16.[34]

Republican primary edit

Candidates edit

Nominee edit
Eliminated in primary edit
  • Matthew DiGeronimo, entrepreneur, motivational and business speaker, radio talk show host and former Navy officer[36]
Declined edit

Primary results edit

Republican primary results[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Kawika Crowley 9,056 60.8
Republican Matt DiGeronimo 5,843 39.2
Total votes 14,899 100.0

General election edit

Endorsements edit

Results edit

Hawaii's 2nd congressional district, 2012[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Tulsi Gabbard 168,503 80.5
Republican Kawika Crowley 40,707 19.5
Total votes 209,210 100.0
Democratic hold

References edit

  1. ^ "State of Hawaii, Office of Elections". Office of Elections. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c "GENERAL ELECTION 2012 - State of Hawaii - Statewide". State Of Hawaii Office of Elections. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  3. ^ Trygstad, Kyle (August 24, 2011). "Hanabusa Will Seek Re-Election, Not Bid for Senate". Roll Call. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  4. ^ "Hanabusa snags Democratic bid for Hawaii US House". RealClearPolitics. Associated Press. August 12, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d "PRIMARY ELECTION 2012 - State of Hawaii - Statewide" (PDF). State Of Hawaii Office of Elections. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  6. ^ "Djou announces run for Congress, will deploy to Afghanistan". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. August 17, 2011. Retrieved August 18, 2011.
  7. ^ "Djou wins GOP nomination for Hawaii US House seat". RealClearPolitics. Associated Press. August 12, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  8. ^ a b Gutierrez, Ben (April 22, 2012). "Sierra Club endorses Hirono, Hanabusa, Gabbard in federal races". Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  9. ^ "CANDIDATES". gopyoungguns.com. Archived from the original on October 29, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  10. ^ Catanese, David (May 19, 2011). "Mazie Hirono to seek Akaka's seat". Politico. Retrieved May 20, 2011.
  11. ^ a b c d Trygstad, Kyle (May 26, 2011). "Tulsi Gabbard Running to Succeed Hirono in Hawaii". Roll Call. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  12. ^ "Tulsi Gabbard announces candidacy for U.S. Congress". Archived from the original on April 3, 2012. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  13. ^ a b c "Hilo attorney Marx announces U.S. House candidacy". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. November 3, 2011. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  14. ^ Joseph, Cameron (August 30, 2011). "Former Honolulu Mayor Hannemann to run for House". Ballot Box. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
  15. ^ Trygstad, Kyle (August 30, 2011). "Mufi Hannemann Announces Open-Seat House Bid in Hawaii". Roll Call. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
  16. ^ "Office of Hawaiian Affairs chief advocate announces candidacy for 2nd Congressional District". Daily Reporter. August 10, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2011.[permanent dead link]
  17. ^ Pang, Gordon Y.K. (August 11, 2012). "Gabbard upsets Hannemann". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  18. ^ Daranciang, Nelson (May 31, 2011). "Duckworth not considering run for Hawaii posts". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
  19. ^ "'A possible path'". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. August 13, 2011. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  20. ^ a b Gutierrez, Ben (July 8, 2012). "Hannemann, Gabbard trade jabs in Congressional debate". Archived from the original on March 1, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  21. ^ LaFrance, Adrienne (January 17, 2012). "Tulsi Gabbard's Leftward Journey". Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  22. ^ Tulsi Gabbard [@TulsiGabbard] (August 7, 2012). "@MAUITIME Yes, and if elected to Congress, I will work to repeal DOMA, and co-sponsor Respect for Marriage Act #NOH8 #LGBT" (Tweet). Retrieved October 11, 2012 – via Twitter.
  23. ^ Weems, Mickey (July 5, 2012). "Tulsi Gabbard's Moment of Truth". Expression Magazine. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  24. ^ Tulsi Gabbard (July 10, 2012). Congressional Debate - Tulsi Gabbard. Honolulu, HI: Hawaii News Now.
  25. ^ Tulsi Gabbard (July 10, 2012). Tulsi Gabbard files complaint against Mufi Hannemann's spending. Honolulu, HI: KITV News.
  26. ^ Hawaii Congressional District 2 Debate on June 5, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  27. ^ Levine, Michael (June 18, 2012). "Civil Beat Poll - Stunning Turnaround In Hawaii's CD2 Race". Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  28. ^ Tsuji, Erika (October 25, 2011). "Leading nonpartisan PAC for women endorses Tulsi Gabbard for Congress". Facebook. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  29. ^ Tulsi Gabbard
  30. ^ Pignataro, Anthony (August 9, 2012). "MauiTime's 2012 Hawaii Primary Election Endorsements". Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  31. ^ Pang, Gordon Y.K. (August 11, 2012). "Gabbard Upsets Hanneman". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  32. ^ Tulsi Gabbard, Suzanne Malveaux (September 4, 2012). Tulsi Gabbard, one to watch at the DNC. Charlotte, NC: CNN.
  33. ^ "Tulsi Gabbard Post Primary Election". KITV TV. August 13, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  34. ^ Sakahara, Tim (August 16, 2012). "Tulsi Gabbard resigns, open seat generates interest". Hawaii News Now. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  35. ^ Sakahara, Tim (August 23, 2012). "Handyman hopes to go from homeless to Congress". Hawaii News Now. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  36. ^ Gracia, Daniel (July 10, 2012). "Hawaii's Matt DiGeronimo: Congressional candidate and a real American hero". The Washington Times.
  37. ^ "(Un)ambition". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. August 16, 2011. Retrieved August 18, 2011.
  38. ^ "RED TO BLUE 2012". DCCC. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  39. ^ "Help Our Candidates Win!". emilyslist.org. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  40. ^ "2012 Endorsed". vetpac.org. Archived from the original on August 6, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  41. ^ "Our Candidates | VoteVets.org". September 11, 2012. Archived from the original on September 11, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2020.

External links edit

  • State of Hawaii, Office of Elections official site
    • Primary election results
  • United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii, 2012 at Ballotpedia
  • Hawaii U.S. House at OurCampaigns.com
  • Campaign contributions for U.S. Congressional races in Hawaii at OpenSecrets
  • Outside spending at the Sunlight Foundation