Washington now!!!!!!!National Democrats Bow Out of Hawaii Race
By JEFF ZELENY
Battles are under way in several Democratic primary contests around the country. But few are as intense – or symbolic – as the fight under way for a special election on May 22 in Hawaii’s First Congressional District.
The acrimony between two Democratic candidates has grown so intense that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced Monday that it was essentially throwing in the towel on the race – for now – to save money for the general election.
“Local Democrats were unable to work out their differences,” said Jennifer Crider, a spokeswoman for the committee. “The D.C.C.C. will save the resources we would have invested in the Hawaii special election this month for the general election in November.”
The race carries an extra measure of symbolism because it is unfolding in President Obama’s native state and the district where he spent his teenage years. The special election is to fill the seat of Representative Neil Abercrombie, a Democrat, who stepped down to run for governor.
The election has become a three-way race with Charles Djou, a Republican Honolulu city councilman, facing two Democrats, Ed Case, a former congressman, and Colleen Hanabusa, a state senator. The winner of the May 22 contest will have to run again in the general election, so Democratic leaders in Washington decided to stop running television commercials against Mr. Djou, which some party officials said was a sign that they fear the race was lost.
If Mr. Djou becomes the beneficiary of vote-splitting Democrats and wins the special election, he will still face a Democrat in November – most likely Mr. Case or Ms. Hanabusa.
With Republicans seeking to take control of the House from Democrats, every loss could be critical for Democrats – even seats in states like Hawaii, which typically don’t come onto the radar of Democratic leaders in Washington.
Steve
House Democrats pull out of Hawaii special election
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced this morning that it will cease spending money in the Hawaii special election race set for later this month, a decision that almost certainly will hand Republicans a victory.
"The DCCC will not be investing additional resources in the [Hawaii's 1st district] special election," said DCCC communications director Jen Crider. "Local Democrats were unable to work out their differences. The DCCC will save the resources we would have invested in the Hawaii special election this month for the general election in November."
Charles Djou
To date, the DCCC has spent $313,000 on ads seeking to weaken Honolulu City Councilman Charles Djou (R) but has been unable to do so in a meaningful way as an internal party division has made the race close to unwinnable.
National Democrats have spent the last several weeks trying to force state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa out of the race, believing that she and former Rep. Ed Case (D) would split the party vote enough to allow Djou to shoot the gap.
Hanabusa refused to heed calls from national Democrats and held a press conference last week asserting her commitment to the race. She has the backing of Sens. Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka as well as much of the Hawaii political establishment; Case is persona non grata among that crowd after his 2006 Senate challenge to Akaka.
All three candidates will appear of the May 22 special election ballot. National Democratic strategists have insisted that the district, which gave President Obama 70 percent of the vote in 2008, will return to their side in November when they will have a more traditional one-on-one vote.
The decision to walk away from Hawaii puts even more pressure on Democrats to win the Pennsylvania's 12th district special election on May 18. (We have made the case that Pennsylvania has always mattered more than Hawaii.)
As of today, the DCCC has spent nearly $650,000 in independent expenditures on the southwestern Pennsylvania district where former congressional aide Mark Critz (D) is taking on businessman Tim Burns (R). The National Republican Congressional Committee has spent $728,0000 on the race.
Charles with Governor Linda Lingle and Representative Gene Ward at Kamilonui Farms
DCCC Pulls Out of Hawaii Special Election Race
Posted By Chad Pergram On May 10, 2010 @ 11:13 am In Congress
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the panel charged with getting Democrats elected to the House, is pulling out of the race to replace former Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) in a special election scheduled for later this month.
Former Rep. Ed Case (D-HI) is vying with Hawaii state senator Colleen Hanabusa (D) along with Honolulu City Councilman Charles Djou (R) for the right to succeed Abercrombie.
The race appears to favor Djou as Democrats squabble behind the scenes. Case infuriated many of Hawaii’s Democratic establishment a few years ago when he challenged longtime Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI) in the Democratic primary. He is splitting his vote with Hanabusa.
“The DCCC will not be investing additional resources in the HI-01 special election,” said DCCC spokeswoman Jennifer Crider. “Local Democrats were unable to work out their differences. The DCCC will save the resources we would have invested in the Hawaii special election this month for the general election in November.”
Losing the seat would be a blow to Democrats, who have long-held this left-leaning seat. Abercrombie did two stints on Capitol Hill, one lasting nearly 20 years. He resigned from Congress in February to run for governor.
The votes will be tabulated May 22 and election officials will announce a winner then.
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