Congressional seat face-off gets heated

Tension erupted at times as six candidates vying for the congressional seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa worked to set themselves apart from each other Monday night during a debate hosted by Hawaii News Now. The hourlong forum included questions from reporters and students as well as the candidates themselves.

Honolulu City Council Chairman Ernie Martin pressed state Sen. Donna Mercado Kim on her record on gay marriage. Kim voted against the 2013 bill that legalized gay marriage in Hawaii. Martin asked her why progressive voters should trust her. Kim said she has evolved on the issue and would fight for LGBT issues in Washington.

Kim and former Congressman Ed Case also argued over how many votes Case missed when he was in Congress and who was the most experienced candidate. Kim has touted her 35 years in political office, including 18 years in the state Senate. Case, who worked to make the case throughout the debate that he was the most experienced candidate, asked Kim whether she would retract that assertion. Kim declined. Case is the only candidate who has served in federal office, but has been working in the private sector for the past decade.

Kim was slightly leading the race in a Honolulu Star-Advertiser poll taken in March. But 31 percent of those polled were undecided, and Case, who announced his candidacy last month, has likely shaken up the race.

The younger candidates, state Reps. Kaniela Ing and Beth Fukumoto, also sparred over issues, including Fukumoto’s voting record when she was a Republican. But both came out of the debate espousing progressive ideas, including their support for some form of tuition-free college, and used their youth to help boost their images as the change candidates.

“I’ve been consistently providing a vision for a better future for lower costs, for better housing. I’m the right person to do that because, again, we need change,” said Fukumoto. “This political class — some of the people up here have been running for office since I was born.”

Ing went further than any of the other candidates in taking liberal stances on issues. He was the only candidate to support scaling back military spending in Hawaii, noting the military’s history of environmental pollution in the islands, as well as rent allowances that drive up costs in the rental housing market.

Lt. Gov. Doug Chin touted his experience in standing up to President Donald Trump as a reason for why voters should send him to Washington. As the former attorney general, Chin sued the Trump administration over the travel ban against a number of Muslim-majority countries, in addition to supporting a number of other federal lawsuits against the president’s policies.

“I will hold the Trump administration accountable, and I will fight for your values,” said Chin, who called Trump’s agenda “hateful and hurtful.”