PrintDemocratic Socialist in Hawaii House race gets 6% in primary
Kaniela Ing, a Hawaiian Democratic Socialist supported by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was running in the Democratic primary to succeed U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa who decided to challenge Governor David Ige for the nomination. Hanabusa lost that race 51-44.
As for Ing, he was slaughtered by former Congressman Ed Case and Lt. Gov Doug Chin. He received only 6% of the votes despite Ocasio-Cortez stumping for him on Thursday.
Former congressman Ed Case emerged from a crowded field on Saturday to win the Democratic Party primary to represent Honolulu in Congress.
The 65-year-old fiscal conservative defeated five other major candidates including Lt. Gov. Doug Chin, who was the architect of Hawaii's legal battle against President Donald Trump's travel ban.
Case said his message that politicians in Washington need to work together resonated with voters.
"I think voters want Washington to work again, that's the number one issue. Clearly that was my message and I think that accounts for much of the result of my race," Case said after he was declared the victor.
Case served in Congress from 2002 to 2007, giving him an edge in experience and name recognition. He ran unsuccessfully for the Senate and House in the years since he left Congress, then retired from politics five years ago to become an executive for a Hawaii-based hotel chain.
As we saw in primaries last Tuesday, Democratic voters decisively rejected socialist politcs and embraced less radical alternatives. It is significant that Ocasio-Cortez personally campaigned for Ing in that she has been promoting the idea that she has the magic formula to bring Democrats victory in November. Hawaii, one of the most Democratic states in the union, massively rejected her and her politics.
I think Democrats are going to be a lot more cautious in promoting Ocasio-Cortez as the "new" face of the Democratic party. Not so much because of her politics, but because she is a loser outside of New York. In politics, nothing succeeds like success and Ocasio-Cortez hasn't had any.
