Honolulu City Councilman Charles Djou has the advantage in the special election for Congress, a new Hawai'i Poll has found, giving Republicans the best opportunity in two decades to claim the urban Honolulu district.
Djou leads with 36 percent, former congressman Ed Case is chasing at 28 percent, and state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa is trailing with 22 percent. Thirteen percent were undecided.
The poll, taken for The Advertiser and Hawai'i News Now, confirms fears among Democrats that Case and Hanabusa could split the Democratic vote in the winner-take-all election and help Djou score a rare Republican upset.
The poll was conducted by Ward Research from April 23 through April 28 among 349 voters who said they were likely to mail back their ballots in the May 22 election. The margin of error was 5.2 percentage points.
"Right now, for me, it's about fiscal responsibility," said Walter Yuen, a retired flight attendant who lives in Hawai'i Kai and is leaning toward Djou.
Yuen believes federal and state lawmakers rely too much on tax increases to maintain governments that have grown too large. "We've got to learn how to control our spending," he said. "If I have to do it, they should have to do it."
Showing posts with label Hawaii. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hawaii. Show all posts
Monday, May 3, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Republican leads in special Hawaii election
What would you say if I were to tell you that a Republican was ahead in a special election House race in Hawaii?
Yes, you read that correctly. In Hawaii, Republicans are usually as rare as hens teeth. But the dissatisfaction with the Democrats runs so deep, that even in the bluest of blue states, the GOP is very competitive.
How competitive?
Republican Charles Djou has climbed 15 points in the polls since January and is now ahead in the deep blue state! Charles Djou is currently leading the field in the latest polling. Djou held a "money wave" today for his campaign. He was hoping to raise $100,000. It looks like he will make it. You still have time to donate to his campaign for Congress.
UPDATE: Djou raised $105,888 in his money bomb exceeding his goal by $5,888!
The special election is May 22 so there is still a long way to go yet. And the winner of this race will have to run again in November. But make no mistake, a lot of Democrats will be sweating if Djou can pull this off.
Yes, you read that correctly. In Hawaii, Republicans are usually as rare as hens teeth. But the dissatisfaction with the Democrats runs so deep, that even in the bluest of blue states, the GOP is very competitive.
How competitive?
Republican Charles Djou has climbed 15 points in the polls since January and is now ahead in the deep blue state! Charles Djou is currently leading the field in the latest polling. Djou held a "money wave" today for his campaign. He was hoping to raise $100,000. It looks like he will make it. You still have time to donate to his campaign for Congress.
UPDATE: Djou raised $105,888 in his money bomb exceeding his goal by $5,888!
The special election is May 22 so there is still a long way to go yet. And the winner of this race will have to run again in November. But make no mistake, a lot of Democrats will be sweating if Djou can pull this off.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
GOP flew 33 staffers to winter meeting in Hawaii
The RNC spent more than $340K at a semi-annual meeting in Honolulu in Jan., the latest example of the party spending lavishly on itself while GOP officials worry they won't have enough money to take advantage of a promising national landscape this fall.
According to FEC reports filed late Tuesday, the RNC spent $167K on facilities for the 3-day meeting, which took place at a posh resort in Waikiki. That figure doesn't include rooms and office space for the party employees who staffed the meeting, which added up to at least another $90K.
At least 33 RNC staffers and officials made the trip to HI, including top members of the political, communications and research departments, as first reported by Hotline OnCall. Party staff were reimbursed for meals and travel as part of the trip.
RNC communications director Doug Heye, who did not work at the committee when the meeting in Honolulu took place, declined to comment on the expenses Tuesday night.
The $340K documented in FEC filings does not include airfare for each staffer, which could amount to tens of thousands more. FEC rules require the party committees to disclose how they spent their money, including listing merchants who received payments, but it does not require the RNC to list destinations of air travel. Given that the RNC spends thousands of dollars for air travel every month, that means there is no way to account for the staffers who flew to Honolulu.
The total spent on the semi-annual meeting, at which routine party business occurred, means the party shelled out more than $2K for each of the 168 members of the national committee. That does not include airfare for those members. Only the top 3 RNC officials -- chairman Michael Steele, co-chair Jan Larimer and Treasurer Randy Pullen -- had their flights paid for by the RNC. Every other committee member had to pay his or her own way.
A total of 29 staffers received reimbursements for expenses made during the meeting. Steele and then-executive director Ken McKay, both of whom attended the meeting, did not report receiving any reimbursements.
The new disclosures in FEC reports come just weeks after several party officials resigned in the wake of a party thrown at a risque Hollywood nightclub. McKay and a junior RNC official left the committee after the $2K expense, first reported by The Daily Caller, showed up in last month's FEC report.
According to FEC reports filed late Tuesday, the RNC spent $167K on facilities for the 3-day meeting, which took place at a posh resort in Waikiki. That figure doesn't include rooms and office space for the party employees who staffed the meeting, which added up to at least another $90K.
At least 33 RNC staffers and officials made the trip to HI, including top members of the political, communications and research departments, as first reported by Hotline OnCall. Party staff were reimbursed for meals and travel as part of the trip.
RNC communications director Doug Heye, who did not work at the committee when the meeting in Honolulu took place, declined to comment on the expenses Tuesday night.
The $340K documented in FEC filings does not include airfare for each staffer, which could amount to tens of thousands more. FEC rules require the party committees to disclose how they spent their money, including listing merchants who received payments, but it does not require the RNC to list destinations of air travel. Given that the RNC spends thousands of dollars for air travel every month, that means there is no way to account for the staffers who flew to Honolulu.
The total spent on the semi-annual meeting, at which routine party business occurred, means the party shelled out more than $2K for each of the 168 members of the national committee. That does not include airfare for those members. Only the top 3 RNC officials -- chairman Michael Steele, co-chair Jan Larimer and Treasurer Randy Pullen -- had their flights paid for by the RNC. Every other committee member had to pay his or her own way.
A total of 29 staffers received reimbursements for expenses made during the meeting. Steele and then-executive director Ken McKay, both of whom attended the meeting, did not report receiving any reimbursements.
The new disclosures in FEC reports come just weeks after several party officials resigned in the wake of a party thrown at a risque Hollywood nightclub. McKay and a junior RNC official left the committee after the $2K expense, first reported by The Daily Caller, showed up in last month's FEC report.
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