Democrats keen to grill Fukumoto on her views

State Rep. Beth Fukumoto made national news when she announced she’d switch to the Democratic Party after House Republicans ousted her as minority leader for criticizing President Donald Trump.

But Democrats aren’t exactly laying the welcome mat.

State Chairman Tim Vandeveer wrote to Fukumoto outlining extensive hoops she must jump through to gain membership, including a grilling on her gay marriage and abortion views.

Fukumoto is already caucusing with House Democrats, but couldn’t run for re-election in her Mililani district as a Democrat unless party leaders approve her membership.

It portends a possible spectacle of a moderate legislator effectively run out of one party for being too liberal and shunned by the other party for being too conservative.

Former Democratic Govs. John Waihee and Ben Cayetano are ripping party leadership for imposing “litmus tests” and abandoning the “big tent” ethic that built the local party.

Fukumoto expects a contentious and close vote, but said, “I’ve never shied away from tough conversations. … I’m happy to talk through how I align with the Democratic Party platform.”

Her harshest doubters are hard-line progressives; one typical social media critic called her “akin to our most regressive DINO (Democrats in name only) corporatists.”

But she’s not that easy to pigeonhole after four years of often collaborating and voting with House Democrats — a sore point with conservative Republicans who called her a RINO.

Her main issues are affordable housing and income inequality, and she’s proposed higher taxes on the wealthy to provide relief.

She voted against gay marriage, but so did 13 House Democrats and the last two Senate presidents, Sens. Ron Kouchi and Donna Mercado Kim.

Fukumoto said she doesn’t personally oppose same-sex marriage, but felt obligated to represent her constituents, who “overwhelmingly came out in opposition.”

On abortion, she said she “aligns much more closely with the Democratic platform than the Republican platform.”

Republicans ousted her after she participated in a women’s march and criticized Trump on women’s rights.

Anyone off the street can become a Democrat by signing a one-page form, but elected officials seeking to switch face extreme vetting.

Bart Dame, Democratic national committeeman, said on Facebook the party has a right to some control, but the rule was intended to exclude only the “most egregious” bad fits.

“Otherwise, we should leave it up to the primary election voters to decide who qualifies as a ‘Democratic’ lawmaker,” he wrote.

Fukumoto, whose grandparents owned Fukumoto Store in Kalihi, is as local as they come in manner and the values of tolerance and working together.

At 34, she’s a bright star of her political generation and a potential future candidate for higher office.

If there’s no place for Fukumoto in either major party, it explains why a large swath of Hawaii’s nonvoting electorate feels so majorly disenfranchised.

Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com.