Akaka, Hirono Win Hawai’i Nominations
September 29, 2006
HONOLULU — U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka now faces 16-year veteran state Rep. Cynthia Thielen, who was named by the state Republican Party, to run in the general election. Former Vietnam prisoner of war Jerry Coffee won the GOP nomination, but he withdrew from the race due to health issues. Thielen is assistant minority floor leader.
GOP Chairman Sam Aiona said that the election “indicated a split within the Democratic Party.”
However, Case has said that he would support Akaka.
Akaka, 82, had successfully argued that his seniority was an advantage as opposed to 53-year-old moderate Ed Case’s contention that democrats needed younger blood in the U.S. Senate. Akaka won the primary by a 55-45 margin.
“I do believe that there are clear differences between my general election opponent and me, particularly when it comes to questioning the direction in which the Bush Administration has taken our country,” Akaka added. “I intend to run the same sort of campaign heading into the general election,” Akaka said.
In the governor’s race, former legislator Randy Iwase won the democratic nomination to go up against republican incumbent Governor Linda Lingle.
In the U.S. House race, former Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono will meet the republican nominee, state Sen. Bob Hogue. Hirono edged state Sen. Colleen Hanabusa in the primary and is favored to win the general election as well.
But because Hogue is well-liked and fairly well-known, that race may attract financial interest from mainland republicans that are trying to hold on to their majority in the House, said University of Hawaii political science professor Ira Rohter.
“The democrats are really going to put their focus on that race,” he said.
“The republicans have all this money, but their campaigns have been pretty pedestrian. How much money can they get into this campaign?”
— Associated Press contributed to this report
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