Schatz vs Hanabusa in 2014 Senate election

[Amati]

Might as well get started already on following the upcoming Schatz vs Hanabusa election. The election in 2014 will be for the remaining two years of Inouye’s six-year term (through 2016).

To date:

SB, April 2013

U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa has decided to challenge U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz in the Democratic primary next year, according to a source close to her campaign.
Hanabusa was the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye’s choice as his replacement, and the senator had urged Gov. Neil Abercrombie to select her just before he died at 88 in December. Abercrombie instead chose Schatz, his lieutenant governor.

A primary between Schatz, 40, and Hanabusa, 61, would evoke generational as well as political fault lines within the Democratic Party. Schatz, a progressive, has the potential to build seniority in the Senate over a generation. Hanabusa, a more traditional liberal, will contend that her experience prepares her to have an immediate impact.

The fund raising - it is just beginning to heat up, and will be interesting to see how it developes. Today in the SB:

U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa raised $500,000 in the past quarter for her Democratic primary challenge against U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, her campaign said today. Her campaign said the donations reflect six weeks of fundraising since she announced she was would run against Schatz in May.

Hanabusa also had $248,600 in her House account at the end of the first quarter that she can use for her Senate campaign.

Schatz raised $911,000 during the last quarter, according to his campaign, and more than $2 million overall.

[Amati]

Re: Schatz vs Hanabusa in 2014 Senate election

Related news today, Ed Case is out of politics and won't be running for Hanabusa's vacated seat. From SA breaking news (the link will end soon):

Former congressman Ed Case told supporters today that he has taken a job at Outrigger Enterprises Group as senior vice president and chief legal officer, which likely will end his political career.

Case, who lost campaigns for the U.S. House and U.S. Senate over the past seven years, has been mentioned as a potential candidate for urban Honolulu's 1st Congressional District. U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa is vacating the seat to challenge U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz in the Democratic primary for Senate.

I liked Ed Case's consistent outreach to voters, even while not currently in office. Anyway, he's out of the picture (at least for a long while).

[Ron Whitfield]

Re: Schatz vs Hanabusa in 2014 Senate election

After the traitorista voted heavily against the best interest of all American's with a no vote to continue the NSA's unAmerican BS and help accerbate Edward Snowden's biggest fear of his patriotic deeds going down the tubes, she needs to be rebuffed 100% in this and any/all future political disservice. What a sleezy pig!

[Amati]

Re: Schatz vs Hanabusa in 2014 Senate election

The candidates are hoping for the voting power that comes from union endorsements. Today's SA reports:

U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa today picked up the endorsements of the United Public Workers Union and five other public and private-sector labor unions.The 13,000-member UPW was the largest of the endorsements. Others included the Hawaii Longshore Division statewide, Hawaii Laborers Union Local 368, Hawaii Masons Union Locals 1 and 630, the Hawaii Sheet Metal Workers Union Local 293, and the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 121.

Meanwhile:

Schatz has picked up the endorsement of the 42,000-member Hawaii Government Employees Association, the state's largest public-sector labor union. Both HGEA and UPW are units within the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

I know that some unions do extensive promotion of the candidates they endorse, including write ups in their newsletters and mailings, calling in the days before an election to let the membership know who they are supporting, and calls on election day to remind the members to get out there and vote. I don't know about other states' elections, but in Hawaii, union backing can mean a lot of votes.

[Ron Whitfield]

Re: Schatz vs Hanabusa in 2014 Senate election

The candidates are hoping for the voting power that comes from union endorsements.

No doubt Hanabusa is hoping voters don't recall her unpatriotic vote for continuing the corrupt NSA's espionage on law abiding citizens. Just say no to her.