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2024 Hawaii & National Election Coverage

Hawaii’s two U.S. senators joined the chorus of Democrats supporting former Vice President Joe Biden’s bid for president in separate announcements today.

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz took the opportunity to criticize President Trump’s administration.

“We’ve seen how low they will go — to take away our health care, to deny the climate crisis , to ignore experts and put us in danger,” Schatz said. “Joe is the antidote our country needs. He will bring strong, steady leadership to the White House. He will unite the country. He will do the right thing.”

U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono also took shots at the president in her announcement.

“Joe not only brings years of committed leadership to the presidency, but also empathy and humanity forged by his own personal experiences with tragedy and pain. Empathy and humanity sadly lacking in the current president,” Hirono said.

“At a time when the health of Americans is at risk, Joe’s fight to enact, sustain, and expand the Affordable Care Act and his leadership on the Cancer Moonshot demonstrate his commitment to health care as a right and not a privilege,” she said.

Schatz noted that Hawaii’s four former Democratic governors — George Ariyoshi, John Waihee, Ben Cayetano and Neal Abercrombie —have already endorsed Biden.

U.S. representatives Ed Case and Tulsi Gabbard, who dropped her own bid for president in March, also have voiced support for the Biden candidacy.