While voters throughout Hawaii, overall, swung decisively toward Democratic candidates, there’s an indication of growing Republican loyalty among island voters. For both political parties, this could be an emerging trend to watch in solidly Democratic Hawaii — one that can’t be ignored, as witnessed on the national level with Donald Trump’s strong showing among diverse constituencies, including working-class and ethnic communities.
To be sure, both Democrats and Republicans were unseated in certain local races. But statewide, while roughly 70% of the electorate went for Democratic candidates, a fairly consistent percentage of up to 30% voted Republican in contested races.
In the state Legislature, a third Republican has joined the Senate and three Republicans added to the House, with one position lost. In very tight races, a recount will be conducted before results are final — triggered when the candidates are under 100 votes or 0.25% of total ballots apart (whichever is larger).
A glance at some intriguing legislative races and what they could be signaling about voter impatience with the status quo:
>> Senate District 22: Republican Samantha Decorte beat Democrat Cedric Gates in a district including Honokai Hale, Maili, Makaha, Nanakuli and Waianae, 5,700 votes (53.67%) to 4,920. This was an open Senate seat Democrats hoped to hold on to, but lost. Decorte, who is Native Hawaiian, emphasized increased state support for the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and affordable housing, security in the district’s public schools and public safety. It’s a message that resonated in a district hit hard with a recent string of violence.
>> House District 45 (Makaha, Waianae): Republican Chris Muraoka defeated Waianae teacher Desire Desoto by just 52 votes, 2,608 (50.5%) to 2,556 (subject to recount). That tight margin may not signal a red wave, but it verifies the surging strength of Republican voters on the Waianae Coast. Both DeCorte, who works for the state, and Muraoka, a business owner, are articulate, politically moderate advocates who speak passionately about the need for more emphasis on public safety and a broadened response to homelessness — and a need for change in the state’s responsiveness to West Side issues. If Democrats hope to win these districts in the future, they will need to show results for these voters.
>> HD 39 (Royal Kunia-Waipahu-Honouliuli): One of six Republican incumbents in the House, first-term Rep. Elijah Pierick was trailing Democrat Corey Rosenlee in this West Side district, 3,965 votes to 4,103 (50.86%). Rosenlee is well-known among politicos as former head of the Hawaii State Teachers Association, and his win signals support for the teachers’ union, child care, education and workforce issues, as well as disagreement with divisive positions taken by the avowedly evangelical Pierick. Rosenlee promises to push for child care tax credits, paid family leave, free tuition at Hawaii’s community colleges and more aid for students attending the University of Hawaii.
>> HD 32 (partial Aiea, Fort Shafter and Halawa, Aliamanu, Foster Village, Moanalua) flipped Republican as first-time candidate Garner Shimizu unseated Democratic incumbent Micah Pookela Kim Aiu in another squeaker, by just 60 votes, 4,088 votes (50.37%) to 4,028 (subject to recount). An engineer working for Nan, Inc., a major contracting firm, Shimizu broadly supports public transportation and homeless services as well as careful budgeting and streamlined regulation. Aiu was weakened by revelations that while he lived in the district with his mother, state Sen. Donna Kim, he improperly claimed a residential property tax exemption for an apartment Downtown.
>> HD 40 (partial Lower Village, Ewa Beach, Iroquois Point) also felt a Republican surge, as teacher Julie Reyes Oda upset Democratic incumbent Rose Martinez, 3,743 votes (50.67%) to 3,434. Oda appears to have won on the strength of her local ties and community-based priorities: improving public schools, reducing the cost of living and increasing public safety.
Correction: An earlier version of this editorial gave an incorrect formula for triggering a recount. Also, at the time of this editorial, state Rep. Elijah Pierick was trailing Democrat Corey Rosenlee, but he would later win after a recount.
