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Make or Break Primary Race: Hanabusa vs Schatz for U.S. Senate

Submitted by HPI on Tue, 07/01/2014 - 02:22
Sen. Brian Schatz
Rep. Colleen Hanabusa

Whether or not Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa or Senator Brian Schatz will win the Hawaii U.S. Senate race will almost surely be decided in the August 9 primary race, not in the general election. That's because whoever receives the most votes among Democrats will be the sole Democratic candidate to go on to the general election, where he or she will face candidates from other parties. Those other candidates will be among the following eight candidates who come in first for their respective parties: Joy Allison (N), Cam Cavasso (R), Brian Evans (D), Harry J. Friel, Jr. (R), Michael Kokoski (L), Eddie Pirkowski (R), Arturo Pacheco Reyes (N), and John P. Roco (R).

The chances of any of these coming in with more votes than either Schatz or Hanabusa in the general election are slim to none. Our apologies to any of the candidates who may be reading this, but chances are good that they'd privately agree: they're not going to win against either Schatz or Hanabusa. That means that Hawaii's U.S. senatorial race will be decided in the primary election, even though it won't be official until the general election.

The Washington Post has called this race the "best primary in the country." The Post gets racial in describing the contest.

Another is the ethnic divide between Hawaii Democrats. Hanabusa, like Inouye, is an American of Japanese ancestry. Schatz and Abercrombie are white.

Run by Jews*, the Post has to be well aware that Schatz is Jewish, but they don't mention it at all, saying a couple of times in the article that he is "white." His Chief of Staff Andy Winer, who was recently outed as a key schemer in the PRP carpenter's-union-related smear campaign against Ben Cayetano two years ago, is also Jewish. Many think Cayetano lost the Honolulu mayoral election at that time because of the smears.

Hanabusa and Schatz will face off in their first debate of this campaign cycle on Kauai this evening (Tuesday, July 1) at the Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall Exhibition Area from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Tomorrow, Jul 2, their second debate will run from 6:30-8pm at Sangha Hall, 424 Kilauea Ave., in downtown Hilo on the Big Island. The debate will be broadcast live online at http://www.hawaii247.com/ and also on Big Island radio station LAVA at 105.3 FM.

*The Washington Post's chairman is Donald Graham, son of Katherine Meyer Graham, who was Jewish. Her father, Eugene Meyer, bought the Post in 1933. The Post's present publisher is Katharine Weymouth, granddaughter of Katherine Graham and Donald's niece. Jeff Bezos, Amazon mogul, recently bought the Post. He's said to be Jewish by some sources, but not Jewish by others.

Links:

Kauai Schatz-Hanabusa debate [Kauai Chamber of Commerce]

Biz groups to host Schatz-Hanabusa debate [Hawaii Tribune-Herald] Jun 29, 2014

Israel, Zionism & Jews [Hawaii Political Info] (Collection of articles)

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