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ASSOCIATED PRESS / STAR-ADVERTISER
Former Honolulu City Councilman Stanley Chang, left, ousted the Senate’s lone Republican Sam Slom on Tuesday night.
Former Honolulu City Councilman Stanley Chang ousted the Senate’s lone Republican Sam Slom on Tuesday night, making Hawaii the only state in the nation with an entirely Democratic state Senate.
Slom, 74, known for his impassioned speeches on the floor of the Legislature railing against tax increases and government spending, has served the East Honolulu area, from Hawaii Kai to Kahala and Diamond Head, for five terms.
Chang, 34, a Harvard Law School graduate who grew up in the Kahala area, waged a grass-roots campaign going door to door throughout the neighborhoods.
“I am deeply humbled by the outpouring of support from East Honolulu,” said Chang, who was reached late Tuesday night as the final returns came in. “I’ve knocked on over 16,000 doors, worn out three pairs of shoes, been bitten by two dogs and lost 25 pounds over the course of this election. And all because I believe the people of East Honolulu deserve a state senator who will listen and will deliver.”
Chang is viewed as a progressive within the Democratic Party, while Slom has trumpeted traditional Republican values and is known for his advocacy for small-business interests.
In an interview last month, Slom fretted about the prospect of having a Senate composed of a single party, saying it would hamper the public’s access to different ideas and theories.
Republican Feki Pouha, who represents Oahu’s North Shore in the state House of Representatives, was also ousted by Democratic challenger Sean Quinlan.
There were nine Senate seats and 30 House seats up for grabs in this year’s general election. Except for Rep. Jo Jordan, who lost during the August primary, the rest of the Legislature’s incumbents retained their seats.
Political newcomer Cedric Gates, who ousted Jordan in the primary, beat Republican Marcus Paaluhi for the House seat representing Makaha, Waianae and Makua.
The race was controversial, with the Hawaii Democratic Party asserting earlier this year that Gates shouldn’t have been able to run as a Democrat because he had run in 2014 as a Green Party candidate. Under party rules, this should have barred him from the party for three years. However, party officials said they didn’t notice the error in time and Gates remained on the ballot as a Democrat.
Democrat Nadine Nakamura will take the place of Rep. Derek Kawakami in the House representing Hanalei, Princeville and Kapaa on Kauai. Kawakami chose to forgo the House seat this year to run for a seat on the Kauai County Council, which he won.
Nakamura is a former Kauai County councilwoman and managing director under Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho.
Sen. Kai Kahele dominated Libertarian challenger Kimberly Arianoff for the Senate seat representing Hilo. Kahele was appointed to the seat by Gov. David Ige earlier this year following the sudden death of his father, Sen. Gil Kahele, from a heart attack.
Rep. Karl Rhoads also easily beat former Honolulu City Councilman Rod Tam for the Senate seat representing downtown Honolulu, Nuuanu, Iwilei and Liliha. The seat was left vacant by Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland, who chose not to seek re-election.
Tam, who was convicted in 2011 for stealing city funds and violating campaign spending laws, tried to launch a political comeback this year as a Republican. He served as a Democrat in the state House from 1982 to 1994 and in the state Senate from 1994 to 2002 before being elected to the Honolulu City Council, where he served until an unsuccessful mayoral bid in 2010.
Rhoads, an attorney, served as a member of the House of Representatives representing Chinatown, Iwilei and Kalihi for a decade and served as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee since 2013.
Democrat Daniel Holt will take Rhoads’ place in the House after beating Republican Kaiwiola Coakley.
In other key races, Democrat Rep. Matt LoPresti beat out Republican challenger Bryan Jeremiah for the House seat representing Ewa.
That race turned ugly at times, with both at one point seeking restraining orders against the other.
LoPresti is an associate professor of philosophy and humanities at Hawaii Pacific University. Jeremiah is a project manager at PEI Construction.
House Minority Leader Beth Fukumoto Chang, a moderate Republican, easily fended off a challenge from former Democratic state Rep. Marilyn Lee for the House seat representing Mililani.
This is the third time that Lee has attempted to win back the seat that she once held.
Fukumoto Chang was criticized earlier this year by some of her Republican House colleagues who charged that she was too accommodating to ruling House Democrats.
The party tension grew last summer when a crowd of delegates at the Republican state convention in Waipahu booed Fukumoto Chang when she announced from the convention stage that she could not support Donald Trump for president.
Lee served in the state House as a Democrat for 16 years up until 2012, when she was ousted by Fukumoto Chang.
Well, this is a sad situation. The Hawaii State Senate just became a Democratic rubber-stamp. No more opposing viewpoints, no more contrarian ideas. Just a roll-over legislative body for the majority/monopoly political party.
Was time for Slom to go anyway with his growing health problems. Seems like he was the only dinosaur left in state office.
“…..making Hawaii the only state in the nation with an entirely Democratic state Senate.”
One-party system does away with the “checks and balances” sought by the rest of the U.S.
It’s sad that Hawaii voters lack common sense. Candidates are people that should be evaluated based on merit. The challenge I have with Chang is that he has virtually no real life experience. Having only been an intern at a law firm, how did he afford a residence in Kahala. The answer is that HE LIVES WITH HIS PARENTS! He went to a sheltered private school and was educated in an Ivy league east coast university. He’s not married and doesn’t have children. How does this background qualify a person to write laws that govern how we live here in Hawaii???
Sad.
For the people of Hawaii, his political death, was as a result of his being a career politician, with the same solutions, for the same problems, that always kept him in office.
Just like ALL the democrats that got Reelected.
He’s not a career politician. He’s 74 and had been a politician for 20 years. There was a lot of business and life experience backing him up. Stanley Chang OTOH will be the very definition of career politician. Iolani, Harvard, and a one term councilmember who thought he was ready to go to Washington.
The Senate will miss Sam. He was a pragmatist who worked well with everyone.
Senator Slom, we wish you well. You were often the only voice of reason in the Hawaii senate.
The democratic way is to raise taxes to solve problems. The state was sitting on a huge surplus and they still want to raise taxes to fix our roads. Problem is they don’t fix the roads.
Sad and scary…personally the later more of a concern.
We have created this one Party situation and now we have to live with this.
You don’t. You can easily leave. Move to Texas or Mississippi or Oklahoma. Choice is totally yours.
I wonder what would happen if someone suggested to a Black man who complained about the election results that he can leave the country.
On CNN last night, Eugene Robinson made the ridiculous comment that Trump’s election was a license for racism. I hope nobody watches CNN. Maybe they’ll get the message.
HIE, I’m not going anywhere and I am not a Republican!
The real sad story is despite one party control for decades, essentially none of the States great problems ever get solved. Education, Traffic, homelessness, affordability, doctor shortages etc along with below average performance of all our state agencies still happens. Voter turnout is the poor in part due to lack of choices. Hawaii is becoming more and more third world and bucking trends of the rest of the nation.
IRT dtpro1: Very true. While the politicians seem to gloat that Hawaii is a one party system, the result is just what you’ve described. The real issue is that elections really don’t matter. The process is really a “selection”, because whoever the Democratic party selects to run, that person is the winner. Why even vote? The result is that there are no consequences for NOT solving issues, such as homelessness. Rather than simply shuffling people from one site to another, a two party system would require action, or those elected officials would presumably be replaced. The Republican party needs to revitalized. Doing so would strengthen the function of government.
I travel pretty extensively and what I find interesting is that in essentially every state I visit, people are saying exactly the same things. Schools, Traffic, homelessness (except in Utah where they are actually making progress) housing, state corruption, and so on… In Michigan, for example, they complain about the roads. My experience is that they feel like driving on silk after Hawaii’s roads. The point is that almost everyone everywhere feels that their city, county, state is the worst. You know really? They aren’t. It’s just that everyone’s trying to grapple with very similar issues.
Complainers are everywhere…that’s what they do…that’s all they do. You don’t need knowledge to complain…anyone can do it. If you notice the complainers hardly ever make positive comments…they don’t know how.
Yes because these problems are so simple that they only need to write a bill to do away with these problems. Silly Dems.
“I am deeply humbled by the outpouring of support from East Honolulu,” said Chang, who was reached late Tuesday night as the final returns came in. “I’ve knocked on over 1,600 doors, worn out three pairs of shoes, been bitten by two dogs and lost 25 pounds over the course of this election. And all because I believe the people of East Honolulu deserve a state senator who will listen and will deliver.”
LOL… That says it all.
Welcome to the Socialist Banana Republic of Hawaii
Now the Hawaii democrats can get credit for all their accomplishments.
Sloan had been there too long and was old and just got out campaigned by a younger opponent. Sadly the people in that district did not have much of a choice.
If I was living there I would not have voted for either candidate.
Do you believe the same is true of Hillary Clinton?
sure glad the useless guy got beat. he has done nothing for his district; he only objects to everything. how can you pass legislation is you refuse to be bipartisan?
BS Sam served the whole State. He was a man of principle and reason. It wasn’t about him or totally for his District, He was there for all of us Demorats (not a typographical error,) and The other guys.
LOL! Good luck Hawaii in getting anything under Republican adminstration and Congress. reps better play ball with congress and try to make some friends to get some handouts. AHaha. Lucky you live Hawaii!! Without Pearl Harbor, Hawaii would be a 4th world banana republic like the Philippines.