Presidential money race in Hawaii favors GOP, for now

Welcome to a Donald Trump-free zone. We are taking an early look at local presidential politics, but despite the high-profile campaign of the brash Republican billionaire, he scores zip in Hawaii.

That’s a zero in terms of campaign fundraising, because Trump has not raised a cent in Hawaii, according to the Federal Elections Commission.

As the fundraising totals stand now, more than 450 days away from the 2016 election, the GOP is winning the money race in Hawaii.Campaign figures show more dollars have been raised here for the Republican candidates than for the Democrats.

Of course, so far only about $105,000 has been raised here, but of that amount, $57,927 went to GOP candidates and $47,000 went to the two Democrats.

Hillary Clinton is picking up more cash than Vermont’s U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. Clinton has taken more than $30,000 and Sanders picked up $16,600.

Because there are so many Republican presidential candidates, their totals push up the GOP cumulative tally past the Democrats.

Hawaii was never Bush country, and the FEC figures prove that still to be true. Across the country, Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor with the famous last name, may be the money leader. But he is finding no aloha here, collecting nothing from Hawaii citizens.

Just six of the 16 GOP candidates show up on Hawaii presidential fundraising lists.

Third in 2016 fundraising is the junior U.S. Senator from Texas, Ted Cruz, with $16,500.

Cruz is followed by the retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Florida U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and Kentucky U.S. Sen. Rand Paul.

The last two Republicans with Hawaii donations are Carly Fiorina, the business executive who unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate from California in 2010, and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Graham’s total collection was $600 from one supporter, Maui Republican Meiling K. Akuna.

In this early review, the neighbor islands are providing more of the candidates’ money, with about $34,000 coming from Oahu and about $70,500 from the outer islands.

The neighbor islands also donated more to all the presidential candidates in 2012 — giving $1.8 million compared to Oahu’s $1.6 million. Back in 2012, almost $4 million in presidential money came from Hawaii.

Democrats got $2.5 million and the GOP candidates took home $1.4 million. Hawaii’s Barack Obama was, as expected, the big winner, pocketing 64 percent of the whole Hawaii take. Republican Mitt Romney was second with $1.1 million.

Donations did not indicate actual popularity because the hometown political hero may have collected 64 percent of the money, but he won 70 percent of the vote in Hawaii.

Four years before that, in 2008, Obama ruled Hawaii in both money collected and votes won.

The Punahou grad took 75 percent of the $4 million raised and 71 percent of the vote. And of that $4 million raised out of Hawaii, only $657,000 went to Republicans, proving that Hawaii is just no place to be a Republican holding out your hand.

Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach him at rborreca@staradvertiser.com.