State Rep. Cynthia Thielen was first elected to her Windward Oahu district in 1990 and has been there ever since.
So popular is Thielen, she hasn’t faced a challenger from either party since 2002, when Democrat Avis Jervis could muster only 21 percent of the vote against the well-liked Republican.
But during the recent special session on same-sex marriage, as both sides galvanized and protests echoed out from the state Capitol courtyard, many noticed when Thielen cast the lone GOP vote in either chamber supporting the bill.
Among those opponents who testified and lobbied lawmakers against passing the measure was Joan Hood, a pastor with the Pacific Realm-International Pentecostal Holiness Church who says the futile effort spurred her to become a first-time candidate.
"It’s not about the issue; it’s about the process of the special session," says Hood, who was among the throngs calling for a popular vote on the marriage issue. "I’m upset that she disregarded the voice of the people, after it was obvious that when the people showed up, the issue mattered to them."
Now Thielen finds herself in a primary fight for the first time since her second re-election campaign in 1994, in a race that could provide insight into whether gay marriage will become a significant campaign issue during this election cycle and whether there is a deep divide or just a small fracture within the state Republican Party.
The winner would face Democrat Holly Broman in the November general election.
For her part, Thielen got an early start on the campaign, knocking on doors and walking the district starting in February, two months before Hood even pulled papers for her candidacy.
"I somewhat anticipated that a person focused on a single issue would challenge me," Thielen said recently. "The constituents, they have a broad variety of issues that they are interested in and concerned about. They’re not single-issue constituents, and we work on a lot of different things."
She cited drug use at Kailua District Park as one issue on which she worked with various community groups and government partners, including Honolulu police, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI. She also trumpeted a recent community meeting to gather input on Kawainui Marsh and discuss improvements that would "maintain the integrity" of the wetland.
"So I look at the community as really being an educated community and concerned about a broad number of issues."
She says it’s her experience that sets her apart from the challenger.
"I would say experience and the length of time that I have worked with the community," said Thielen, a consistent vote in favor of stronger environmental and energy policy who also is a strong advocate for hemp manufacturing, particularly clothing.
"I think having background as an environmental attorney has been very beneficial," she added, "because I can look at the bills and look at ones that will really help our environment or could create problems for us, and I can do that with an experienced eye."
Hood insists her run is predicated on returning a voice to the people, not on a single issue.
"Our great country remains to be the government of the people, by the people, for the people," she said. "This is the people’s district, not that of a career politician."
Hood also cites multiple platform issues, including tax cuts for families and small businesses, opposition to the Hawaii Health Connector, the state’s highly criticized health insurance exchange set up under the federal Affordable Care Act, and traditional family values.
Though both consider themselves fiscally prudent, Hood says it’s her conservatism on social issues that sets her apart from the incumbent, making her the stronger Republican candidate.
"I believe that Republican voters here in District 50 will have in me a Republican candidate who will uphold and fight for true Republican principles," Hood said. "I care deeply about traditional family values, life and liberty, and I’m fiscally conservative."
Despite the candidates’ talk of a broad range of issues, it could be harder for voters to separate them from the same-sex marriage issue, with Hood’s status as a pastor and her lobbying efforts against the bill during the special session.
"I’m not worried about it," Hood said. "I think my people here in Kailua know that I’m not a one-issue candidate.
"It wasn’t about same-sex marriage," she added. "It has a lot to do with the voice of the people. The voice of the people was silenced, and my heart is to bring that back to the people. Let the people decide. Either way, for it or against it, let the people decide."
Thielen also was front and center during the special session. Her support for marriage equality led to infighting within the seven-member House Republican caucus, with some even backing a resolution to have her replaced as a member of the House Judiciary Committee.
But Thielen also is confident that it will come down to more than just a single issue.
Both candidates are well organized and well funded. The last campaign spending reports showed Thielen had raised $34,000 in the first six months of 2014 and $84,000 for the two-year cycle. Despite her newcomer status, Hood raised $13,000 since the start of the year and had $2,000 left in cash on hand.
Though Hood may not be drawing as much financial support, her backing from one institution shows that for once, not all Republicans are unified behind Thielen.
The Hawaii Republican Assembly, a formal organization of more conservative GOP members that includes Hood, has helped organize and call attention to her campaign.
Although the Assembly did not issue official endorsements, President Tito Montes says its stances are more in line with Hood’s. He added that the Assembly, in conjunction with the Washington, D.C.-based American Conservative Union, has compiled a legislative scorecard of state lawmakers showing 16 Hawaii House Democrats have more conservative voting records than Thielen.
"I’m more than confident that Joan Hood would meet the vetting process in regards to issues the Hawaii Republican Assembly cares about," Montes said. "She’s completely aligned with us from a fiscal standpoint. Socially, we’re very well aligned on where we stand on protection of life, traditional marriage and things like that.
"She’s a very strong conservative candidate that we believe in."
Thielen’s support for marriage equality, environmental efforts and renewable energy bills has earned her endorsements and recognition from advocates for those issues. Her endorsements include backing from the Sierra Club Hawaii Chapter and Equality Hawaii Action Fund.
Her legislative work has been recognized by various groups, including Common Cause Hawaii, the Hawaii Alliance for Retired Americans & Kokua Council, the Hawaii Audubon Society, the Hawaii Children’s Museum of Arts, Science and Technology and Hawaii’s Thousand Friends.
