Honolulu mayoral candidate Rick Blangiardi now outraising, outspending Keith Amemiya

For the first time this election season, Honolulu mayoral candidate Rick Blangiardi’s campaign is outpacing opponent Keith Amemiya’s team in both collections and expenditures.

Separately, influential super Political Action Committee Be Change Now has infused nearly $900,000 directly into the mayor’s race in an independent effort to get Blangiardi elected. Other political action committees are also seeking to influence the race for either of the two candidates, although in significantly smaller amounts than Be Change Now.

Those are the major takeaways from the latest financing reports filed with the state Campaign Spending Commission. The reports filed this week cover the period from Sept. 27 to Oct. 19.

General Election Day is Nov. 3, although 57% of eligible Oahu voters already have cast their votes.

Friends of Rick Blangiardi reported $405,645 in receipts from donors during the period and $559,417 in expenditures.

Amemiya for Mayor reported $254,720 in receipts Sept. 27-Oct. 19 and $395,462 in expenditures. The receipts included $50,000 in additional cash that Amemiya loaned himself, so the amount he actually received in contributions is lower.

Prior to this reporting period, Amemiya consistently outpaced Blangiardi in both the amounts collected and spent.

Counting all the numbers since the beginning of the campaign, the Amemiya team still holds a big lead. It has collected $2,346,305 and spent $2,263,085, both still significantly higher than his opponent. All told, Amemiya has loaned his campaign $268,712.

Through the election, the Blangiardi campaign has received $1,825,700 and spent $1,752,993. That total includes $465,000 that Blangiardi and his wife reported as loans to his campaign.

In the Aug. 8 primary, Blangiardi grabbed 25.6% of the votes cast, while Amemiya took 20.6%. Since then, third-place finisher Colleen Hanabusa and seventh-place finisher Choon James have thrown their support behind Blangiardi, while Amemiya has won the support of fourth-place finisher Kym Pine.

A Honolulu Star-Advertiser Hawaii Poll from the middle of this month showed Blangiardi with a commanding lead over Amemiya, 49% to 36% with 15% undecided.

SuperPac spending

SuperPAC Be Change Now has spent a significant sum since the primary running an advertising campaign in support of Blangiardi.

Since Sept. 21, Be Change Now has doled out $873,413 in support of Blangiardi. The superPAC is funded primarily by the politically influential Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters, the state’s largest construction union, through its Hawaii Carpenters Market Recovery Program Fund.

Nearly all of that money has gone to media buys, ad productions and related expenses. The most recent TV ads tout Blangiardi’s business experience and describe him as best qualified to help working families.

SuperPACs, also known as independent expenditure committees, are allowed to spend an unlimited amount of funds in support or in opposition to any candidate’s campaign, provided there is no coordination with any candidate campaigns and the superPAC does not contribute directly to a candidate.

The group also has spent tens of thousands to help the campaigns of two Honolulu City Council candidates —Windward Oahu candidate Esther Kiaaina and West Oahu candidate Will Espero. In the primary, Be Change Now spent $162,326 to support the campaign Alan Kekoa Texeira, who finished third behind Kiaaina and Greg Thielen and did not qualify for the run-off.

Be Change Now has also spent thousands on payroll, polling, rent and even staff meals.

Altogether, Be Change Now reported $1.14 million in expenditures in the Sept. 27-Oct. 19 period.

The superPAC did not endorse any candidates in the 15-person primary for Honolulu mayor.

During the 2018 election period, Be Change Now ran ads supporting Hanabusa’s unsuccessful run for governor and then-state Sen. Josh Green’s successful bid for lieutenant governor. It also ran advertising opposing Gov. David Ige, including one that reminded voters it took the state 38 minutes to tell the public that the January 2018 missile alert was false.

The Pacific Resources Partnership PAC, which is also affiliated with the carpenters’ union, in 2012 spent $3.6 million on advertising trying to persuade voters to reject former Gov. Ben Cayetano’s mayoral bid. PRP has been a staunch supporter of the city rail project, which Cayetano opposed.

Cayetano is supporting Blangiardi this year.

Be Change Now is not the only superPAC trying to influence the outcome of the mayor’s race, however.

A superPAC based in Kailua called Mayor’s Race 2020 organized on Oct. 5 apparently was formed to support Blangiardi’s candidacy. Two dozen individuals have contributed $65,900 toward the effort.

The group has spent $57,288 in support of the Blangiardi campaign, most of it through radio advertisements. The group also has started a Mayors Race 2020 Facebook page that urges votes to support Blangiardi and includes a link to the Blangiardi campaign’s web page.

The biggest donor to the cause is attorney Paul Cunney, who contributed $10,100.

Aloha Aina Oiaio, which raised eyebrows in the summer when it ran a campaign seeking to discredit Amemiya prior to the primary election, has slowed its activities recently.

Mana Means Communications was paid $8,377 for advertising, media and collateral materials in opposition to Amemiya’s campaign, the group’s only expenditure in the latest reporting period.

For the total election season, the group made up of individuals and small businesses has collected $109,910 and spent $116,190.

Amemiya has one superPAC that supports him. HiVISION2020, which got $160,000 in funding from the Plumbers and Pipefitters Political Action Committee.

Of that amount, the superPAC has spent $113,948 in support of Amemiya’s campaign through radio ads and mailers. The group also ran ads and sent flyers in support of Council candidates Kiaaina, Augie Tulba and Jacob Aki.

Prosecutor race

Cash flow in the race for Honolulu prosecuting attorney appears to have slowed considerably for both former judge and U.S. Attorney Steve Alm and onetime deputy prosecutor and now defense attorney Megan Kau.

Friends of Megan Kau reported $42,427 in receipts and $87,471 in expenditures during the three-week period ending Oct. 19. Overall, the campaign has raised $259,150 and spent $254,961.

Steve Alm for Prosecutor reported $49,043 in receipts and spending $50,623 during the reporting period. For the entire campaign, Alm’s crew has raised $368,800 and spent $351,932.