Hawaii’s congressional delegation: 4 ambitious politicians jockeying for advantage

It was on the last Saturday and Sunday in May, at the Hawaii Democrats’ state convention, that the first fault lines in our congressional delegate first showed up.

The fight was first over who would lead the party. But, it was also about Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s support for Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign, and Colleen Hanabusa’s reentry into the congressional campaign and her support for Hillary Clinton.

And it was also about Sen. Mazie Hirono’s support for both Clinton and her own 2018 reelection plans. Sen. Brian Schatz was also a Clinton supporter, but he was mostly staying out of the local Democratic leadership fight.

At the convention, Gabbard supported Tim Vandeveer, a Sanders supporter. Hanabusa spoke passionately for Tyler Dos Santos-Tam, and outside the hall, Hirono was stationed to chat up any delegate wandering away from the convention floor.

To those not interested in local politics, Hirono appeared only to be talking story, but to those who appreciate a good inside move, Hirono was physically reminding everyone that she was there; she stood outside for two days chatting up everyone who came by. In comparison, Gabbard had a heavily videotaped entrance with an entourage, an organized greeting line and a quick wave from the convention floor before she dashed off for more public appearances.

For Hirono supporters, the “she’s a workhorse, not a showhorse” simile was the apt description.

For Gabbard, it was another day before the cameras.

Now back in Washington, Hirono and Gabbard, Hanabusa and Schatz all are on the losing edge of the shocking presidential election.

If the four meet for a congressional caucus, it might be wise to suggest they go through a metal detector, because if they aren’t packing heat, they will be carrying a pocketful of grudges.

First Schatz and Hanabusa fought one of Hawaii’s bitterest primary elections, as Schatz won his U.S. Senate seat in 2014 against Hanabusa by a mere 1,700 votes.

Two years later, Hanabusa has reclaimed her U.S. House seat as Rep. K. Mark Takai died in office and Hanabusa won the election. Schatz will still watch her carefully, knowing that Hanabusa is both ambitious and a potent foe if he stumbles, which is not likely.

The second crack in any pretension of a solid delegation is the plotting for the 2018 Senate race, the first time Hirono will have to defend her six years in the U.S. Senate.

Hirono supporters are already signalling that they expect Gabbard to challenge.

On a local level, Gabbard was not returning phone calls from the Honolulu press after the Donald Trump shocker. She was basically incommunicado until the national press beckoned and Sanders held a news conference in Washington to endorse Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison as the next Democratic National Committee chairman. Gabbard was there to voice her support.

Keeping with the spirit of disunity, Schatz hinted in a tweet last week that he was backing Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander.

Gabbard has been careful in protecting her role as the progressive foreign policy bright newcomer, but she is also showing up in the national news media thanks to frequent coverage by Steve Bannon’s Breitbart News Network, the ultra-conservative outlet favored by Trump.

If you are counting, Hirono was one of the first to sign a letter protesting Trump’s naming of Bannon as his chief White House strategist.

All that may be interesting — dabbling with stints on CNN and Breitbart may give you a national presence, but successful politicians know that “all politics is local.”

Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays. Reach him at 808onpolitics@gmail.com.