This story has been corrected. See below.
State Senate President Donna Mercado Kim officially jumped into the 2014 1st Congressional District race on Wednesday, immediately positioning herself as the most experienced and, arguably, the best known among what is now a field of six.
Emphasizing her 30-plus years in the Legislature and Honolulu City Council, the 61-year-old Kim said her background as well as her reputation for asking tough questions make her the best candidate to replace U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, who is forgoing a re-election bid to challenge U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz to finish out the last two years of the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye’s term, which expires in 2016.
"The stalemate in Congress resulted in a government shutdown that nearly crippled the nation and our state," Kim told reporters at a news conference on the lawn of ‘Iolani Palace that was also attended by several dozen supporters. "We have just two voices in the U.S. House of Representatives, so we need, Hawaii needs, to have an experienced voice and a strong voice who knows both city and state government, and who is unafraid to hold government accountable and who will ask the tough questions."
Kim said she has also been able to get along with others and forge alliances to achieve what’s best for Hawaii.
First elected to the state House in 1982, the Kalihi native served on the City Council from 1985 to 2000, when she was elected to the Senate. She became Senate president before the 2013 session.
Kim does not need to resign her Senate seat, representing Kalihi Valley, Moanalua and portions of Halawa, because her term expires in 2016. She said she intends to stay on as Senate president through the election and that her campaign will not interfere with those duties.
Kim is perhaps best known for her staunch, take-no-prisoners questioning style, particularly when it comes to issues dealing with government fraud and waste.
Most recently, she led a Senate committee looking into the loss of $200,000 by the University of Hawaii athletic department in a failed attempt to put on a Stevie Wonder concert as a fundraiser for UH athletics.
Kim was flanked by a diverse assortment of supporters, including First Hawaiian Bank Chairman Don Horner, also chairman of the Board of Education and a member of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation; former Police Chief and Councilman Lee Donohue; former Board of Education member Lei Ahu Isa; and Kawaiaha‘o Church Kahu Curt Kekuna.
She joins five other announced candidates, all of whom like Kim are running as Democrats:
» Windward City Councilman Ikaika Anderson, 35, who has served on the Council since 2009 and spent 12 years as a legislative aide.
» East Honolulu City Councilman Stanley Chang, 31, a Council member since 2011.
» State Sen. Will Espero (D, Ewa Beach-Iroquois Point), 53, who served three years in the state House before joining the Senate in 2002.
» State Rep. K. Mark Takai (D, Halawa-Aiea-Newtown), 46, a member of the House since 1994.
» Activist Kathryn Xian, 40, executive director of the Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery, who is making her first bid for public office.
No Republicans have announced their intention to run for the seat. David Chang, Hawaii Republican Party chairman, said he is encouraging former U.S. Rep. Charles Djou to run. Djou told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser he has not yet made a final decision and he gave no timetable for doing so.
Retired University of Hawaii political science professor Neal Milner said Kim’s experience and high-profile nature may "give her a little bit more heft" in terms of name recognition. But like the others, Kim has never run for statewide office.
The candidates need to be able to form a narrative of who they are and what they stand for the way the late Gov. John Burns was "re-envisioned" in his 1970 "Catch a Wave" re-election bid and Tulsi Gabbard molded herself as a young, progressive war veteran in her 2012 congressional bid, Milner said.
One thing that distinguishes Kim from the field is that she is the only one of the six to oppose same-sex marriage.
Kim told reporters on Wednesday that legalizing same-sex marriage is "a very personal issue for everybody." She said she would expect voters to look at her entire record and not vote for or against her based on her vote on the bill.
"I don’t want this to be the issue," she said. "I stand on my record, and my record is 31 years and it’s all of the issues I’ve undertaken — holding government accountable, speaking loudly and strongly and doing my homework."
Bruce Paige, state director of the motorcycle organization Street Bikers United Hawaii, was among the supporters at Kim’s news conference. Paige said he’s always admired Kim’s independent streak and determination to stand her ground.
Paige, who counts himself a supporter of the same-sex marriage bill, said he respected Kim for going against the grain in opposing the measure even though an overwhelming number of Democratic senators voted for it.
"I respect people that stand on their values," he said. "We can disagree on individual issues but what you want is the package."
Kim said she expects it will take between $1 million and $1.2 million to capture the election. She has about $270,000 in her state Senate campaign fund that can be transferred over to her congressional race, she said.
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CORRECTION: State Sen. Donna Mercado Kim’s district includes Kalihi Valley, Moanalua and portions of Halawa. An earlier version of this story said her district included Haleiwa.
