Newly re-elected U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa offered an olive branch to longtime political foe Charles Djou and his supporters after a decisive but hard-fought win Tuesday night.
Citing President Barack Obama’s victory speech, during which he gave praise to Republican Mitt Romney, Democrat Hanabusa said she wanted to acknowledge Djou and his family for a solid campaign. "We gave the people of Hawaii a fair idea of who we were, and we kept to the issues for the most part, and I think it showed that the people appreciated that."
With nearly all results in at 11 p.m., Hanabusa led by 9 percentage points.
Djou, a Republican, earlier conceded defeat and said he had called to congratulate Hanabusa on her victory.
Djou said he was "very disappointed, mostly for my volunteers who worked so incredibly hard. I and all my supporters put … heart and soul in this race. But we ran a good race. I’m very proud of the campaign we ran."
The contest was a rematch of the 2010 general election that first sent Hanabusa, a Democrat, to Capitol Hill representing a district composed of urban Oahu. The former state senator beat Djou by 6 points in that election. Djou was the incumbent, having won a special election in May 2010 to replace Neil Abercrombie after Hanabusa and former U.S. Rep. Ed Case split the Democratic vote.
Hanabusa, 61, was the first woman to serve as state Senate president when she chose to run for the congressional seat. As a freshman representative in Washington, she backed the Democratic Party line in defeating Republican plans to reform Medicare and Medicaid, and co-sponsored the Paycheck Fairness Act.
Djou, 41, is a combat veteran who served in Afghanistan in addition to being a former City Council member and state representative. A protégé of Hawaii’s former Republican U.S. Rep. Patricia Saiki, he has long been considered a rising star in the GOP. He ran as a centrist attempting to capitalize on his appeal to independents.
Hanabusa and her supporters awaited final results along with the troops of other major Democratic candidates at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii in Moiliili along with Gov. Neil Abercrombie and U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye.
Hanabusa is "a person of her word," said Toni Lee, 71, grass-roots chairwoman for Hanabusa’s campaign. "She’s honest and well spoken, and whatever she says, you can count on her to deliver."
Hanabusa knows what grass roots is all about because "she lived amongst the Hawaiians" and Hawaiian homesteaders in Waianae, said Lee, former president of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs.
Djou’s supporters joined former Gov. Linda Lingle’s Senate campaign party on Dillingham Boulevard in Kalihi on Tuesday night.
Under a large white tent on a breezy night, supporters dined on a buffet that included macaroni and cheese, pulled pork, barbecue chicken and collard greens.
Dr. Fred Staedel, 70, a Vietnam War veteran, said he respects Djou and his views and that he was the best candidate to address Hawaii’s economy.
"I also find that Hanabusa is a tax-and-spend Democrat," said Staedel, of Hawaii Kai. "Djou wants fiscal responsibility to come back to our country."
In the race for Hawaii’s Congressional District 2 to represent the neighbor islands and rural Oahu,Democrat Tulsi Gabbard’s victory over the little-known Kawika Crowley was as easy as many expected.
Gabbard, 31, a war veteran and former City Councilwoman, won an unexpectedly resounding victory over former Mayor Mufi Hannemann in August’s Democratic primary by a more than 60-40 split. Gabbard painted herself as a fresh alternative with enough youth to build up seniority in Congress. Gabbard’s primary campaign was boosted by more than $500,000 in advertising by three national special-interest groups, including the Sierra Club.
She is the first Hindu elected to Congress and the first person of Samoan descent. She is also one of the first three female combat veterans elected to Congress.
Crowley, 60, is a homeless handyman and house painter from Hilo who has been campaigning out of a van parked along the side of the highway in Windward Oahu. Running radio ads touting himself as the ultimate underdog, the Republican is probably best known as a smokers’ rights advocate. He beat U.S. Navy veteran Matthew DiGeronimo in the primary by about 3,200 votes.
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Star-Advertiser staff writers Rosemarie Bernardo and June Watanabe contributed to this report.
