Governor adds nearly $860,000 to re-election purse

Gov. Neil Abercrombie brought in more than $859,450 over the past six months for his re-election campaign, swelling his total to $3.3 million overall.

The Democrat had $2.1 million in cash on hand at the end of June, according to his latest campaign-finance report.

Abercrombie has an immense fundraising advantage over state Sen. David Ige, who announced in July that he would challenge the governor in the Democratic primary.

Ige did not ramp up his fundraising ahead of his announcement. The senator raised just $21,128 over the past six months, according to his campaign-finance report. He had $86,379 in cash on hand at the end of June. State law allows Ige to transfer the money from his Senate account to his gubernatorial campaign.

“We are pleased with the overwhelming support and confidence in Gov. Abercrombie’s vision and the hard work of his administration,” William Kaneko, Abercrombie’s campaign manager, said in a statement.

“Since taking office in 2011, Gov. Abercrombie has had to make some hard decisions amid tough choices, which have led to positive results for our residents and businesses. We see visible signs of a strong economy, one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, and a more responsive state government.”

Ige said he is in the process of transforming his campaign committee and has not really started raising money. “We do have a plan to do the fundraising,” he said. “I’m confident that we’ll raise enough money to tell our story.”