It’s becoming difficult to take the GOP seriously as a major political party in Hawaii.
After the June 7 filing deadline, it has no credible candidates for the U.S. Senate seat or two congressional seats up this year.
In the state Senate, where Republicans hold one of the 25 seats, the party has fielded candidates for only four of the 13 Democratic seats up for election this year; by contrast, the Libertarian Party is challenging for six of those seats.
The GOP’s big recruit is disgraced former councilman and Democratic legislator Rod Tam, who’s running for the Senate as a Republican after being jailed and fined for misusing thousands of public dollars on personal meals.
Republican Chairman Fritz Rohlfing says he’s “thrilled” to have Tam; we’ll see if the cash-strapped GOP can afford to feed him.
Sen. Sam Slom, the only Republican incumbent, missed much of last session with health problems and faces a formidable Democratic challenge from former Councilman Stanley Chang.
In the House, where Republicans hold but seven of the 51 seats, the party has fielded candidates for only 21 of the 44 Democrat-held seats.
Two House Republicans, Cynthia Thielen and Feki Pouha, face challenges in their own party primaries as part of the internecine warfare that sinks the isle GOP.
The infighting has become just plain ugly.
A conservative offshoot called the Hawaii Republican Assembly regularly sends out vile emails making malicious personal attacks on party leaders.
At the recent state GOP convention, conservatives booed House Republican Leader Beth Fukumoto Chang and demanded she leave the party for expressing doubts about Donald Trump as the party’s presidential nominee.
She presides over a seven-member GOP House caucus sharply divided between four moderates and three conservatives — one of whom, Bob McDermott, highlighted the 2016 legislative session by dropping the F-bomb on his GOP colleagues during a House floor debate.
The obscenity theme continued at a GOP news conference last week when Rohlfing and conservative activist Mike Palcic exchanged epithets and came close to going MMA.
Among the few Republicans who have proved electable in the past, former Lt. Gov. James “Duke” Aiona chose not to run for anything after pulling papers for three possible races, and Charles Djou, who can’t stomach Trump, opted to run in the nonpartisan mayor’s race instead of trying to reclaim the congressional seat he once held.
The GOP brand is shot in Hawaii, and the party won’t recover as a relevant political force anytime soon.
The opportunity is ripe for a reform party to bring together independents, disenchanted Democrats and moderate Republicans tired of inept wheel-spinning on Hawaii’s pressing problems.
But absent the right leadership and financial backing, concerned citizens who believe entrenched Democrats need real competition will continue to be frustrated.
Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com or blog.volcanicash.net Opens in a new tab.
