HAWAII ELECTIONS 2010
by Max Cooper
Hawaii’s primary election is Saturday, September 18. Absentee balloting opened Sept 3. There are many key races of interest to gun rights voters. If you are not registered to vote, you may still register for the November 2nd general election by Oct 24. http://hawaii.gov/elections/voters/registration.htm
US Representative, District 1 - While Charles Djou (R) wants your vote to send a message from Republicans to President Obama, Djou has a slim record of active support on gun issues. He proposed a resolution before Honolulu City Council in support of HPD Chief Boisse Correa’s ban on .50 caliber rifles. On the other hand, it would be nice to send Hawaii’s Senate President, Colleen Hanabusa, to Washington DC, where she will have much less opportunity to kill pro-gun bills in the State Senate, like repeal of Hawaii’s magazine ban that she blocked twice.
US Rep, District 2 - Maizie Hirono voted for “assault weapon” and magazine bans when vice-chair of HI State House Judiciary. She’s voted opposite NRA’s issues since elected to Congress. Ramsey Wharton, Republican, NRA member, and Basic Pistol graduate supports your rights. John Willoughby, Republican decorated USN pilot and commercial airlines pilot, campaigned at Koko Head range for your vote.
Governor - The contest for Hawaii’s Governor will be decided most probably in the primary between Democrats Mufi Hannemann and Neil Abercrombie. Hannemann, C-rated by NRA, supports the “no new gun laws” status quo for the State, with acknowledgement that improvements in the cumbersome permits process are possible and that, when the economy permits, Hawaii needs more shooting ranges. His past record as Honolulu Mayor supports his expressed views. Hannemann is the obvious choice for single- issue gun rights voters. He and Abercrombie are neck –and –neck at this point, and gun rights supporters can help swing the election.
Abercrombie has a well-earned NRA “F” rating over several elections. He campaigned for former HPD Chief Nakamura’s statewide pistol ban and brandished an AK 47 when grandstanding in favor of a Hawaii “assault” weapons ban proposal, long before the Brady bill. An Abercrombie governorship would be a replay of the 8 years under Gov. John Waihee III for HI gun owners. Waihee said in his last state-of-the-state address that “This would be a good year to ban all guns in Hawaii.”
The Republican front-runner, Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona, is seriously behind in the polls. Governor Linda Lingle’s administration has achieved nothing spectacular enough to give the Republican Party an opportunity to retain the Governor’s mansion for another 4-8 years. Aiona is largely without any past record on 2nd Amendment issues. NRA rates him a C+ based on his candidate survey answers.
Lt. Governor - There are several candidates who have a past voting history of support for 2nd Amendment values, plus one pretender, and one anti-gun candidate. Democrats Jon Riki Karamatsu, Norman Sakamoto, Bobby Bunda, and Republican Lynn Finnegan have supported your rights in the State Legislature.
Obama supporter Brian Schatz styled himself as an “environmentalist hunter” when serving in the HI State House, but opposed a hunting bill that HRA supported.
State Representative Lyla Berg voted against Castle Doctrine and prohibiting seizure of guns during an emergency.
Several conservative Democrat Hawaii Legislators who have voted for your gun rights are targeted by the extreme left wing of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, challenging them in the primary. Among your supporters is the acknowledged leader for gun rights in the House, Ken Ito, (D) Kaneohe. Also targeted are: Senators Mike Gabbard, Kapolei; Les Ihara Jr., Honolulu; and Representatives Cindy Evans, Kailua-Kona and Waikaloa; Joe Souki, Wailuku; Sharon Har, Kapolei; Rida Cabanila Arakawa, Ewa Beach; Karen Leinani Awana, Nanakuli; and Maile Shimabukuro, Waianae. If we are to continue to make gains in the State Legislature, they need your support in the Primary.
In State House District 33, Aiea, challenger and City Councilmember Gary H. Okino is running against incumbent Rep Blake Oshiro. Blake Oshiro has introduced and promoted several onerous anti-gun bills in the House including bullet serial numbering and re-registration. He’s been unopposed for the past two elections and now has a credible opponent in the primary, Gary Okino, B-rated by NRA.
Honolulu Mayoral candidate Kirk Caldwell supports gun rights values and seems to have the best chance at defeating Honolulu’s anti-gun former Prosecutor, Peter Carlisle, who never misses an opportunity to oppose shall-issue permits to carry, advising the Legislature and the media that ordinary citizens can’t be trusted to shoot the right person. The diminished services at Koko Head Shooting Complex won’t get any better under Carlisle.
Also supportive on gun issues are Calvin Griffin and Panos Prevedouros.
Honolulu Prosecutor: Keith Kaneshiro wants his old job back. However, he championed the handgun and “assault weapon” bans and worked to defeat repeal of Hawaii’s ban on factory magazines over 10 rounds. Anybody but Mr. Kaneshiro.
HRA PRIMARY ELECTION CANDIDATE PREFERENCE LIST
HRA tracks the voting record of candidates, the only real way to identify their views on issues. Some have made public statements on their support for 2nd Amendment issues. All candidates running in the primary were sent candidate surveys. The following preferred candidate list represents only the candidates believed most likely to support gun rights and hunting heritage. No other issues were considered. Some races have no preferred candidate. A few have more than one, some simply representing the ballot choice by party required of HI voters in the primary. HRA will post a list for the general election in November.
| Office | Democrat ballot | Republican ballot | Independent ballot |
| US Rep 1 | DJou, Charles | ||
| US Rep 2 | Wharton, Ramsay | ||
| Willoughby, John W | |||
| Governor | Hannemann, Mufi | Aiona, Duke | |
| Carrol, John | |||
| Lt Governor | Karamatsu, Jon Riki | Finnegan, Lynn | |
| Sakamoto, Norman | |||
| Bunda, Bobby | |||
| Senate 2 | Waugh, Timothy R | McIntosh, Lee | |
| Senate 4 | Tsutsui, Shan | Eric Seibert | |
| Senate 7 | Georgi, JoAnne | ||
| Senate 8 | Slom, Sam | ||
| Senate 9 | Ihara, Les Jr | ||
| Senate 10 | Taniguchi, Brian | Marshall, Eric B | |
| Senate 13 | Franklin, Judy C | ||
| Senate 14 | Dudek, Peter S | ||
| Senate 15 | Wakai, Glenn | Pascua, Ben | |
| Senate 19 | Gabbard, Mike | Bonar, Aaron Toa | |
| Senate 20 | Espero, Will | Montes, Tito | |
| Senate 22 | Magaoay, Michael Y. | Aki, Charles "Bo" | |
| Hagino, Gerald | |||
| Senate 24 | Okuda, Jill | ||
| Senate 25 | Prentiss, Chuck | Pandolfe, Joe | |
| Rep 1 | D'Almeida, Eric Paul | ||
| Rep 2 | Chang, Jerry | ||
| Rep 3 | Tsugi, Cliff | ||
| Rep 4 | Hanohano, Faye | Hapai, Marlene | |
| Rep 5 | Herkes, Bob | Fred Fogel | |
| Rep 7 | Evans, Cindy | Henderson, Scott W | |
| Rep 8 | Souki, Joe | ||
| Rep 9 | Hoylman, Jeff | ||
| Rep 10 | McKelvey, Angus | ||
| Rep 11 | Fontaine, George R | ||
| Rep 12 | Rinaldi, Laurie | ||
| Rep 13 | Akuna, Meiling K | ||
| Rep 14 | Williams, Harry E | ||
| Rep 15 | Tokioka, James K | ||
| Rep 16 | Morikawa, Daynette | Sterker, Phil | |
| Rep 17 | Ward, Gene | ||
| Rep 18 | Baron, Cris (Pei-Ji) | ||
| Rep 19 | Marumoto, Barbara | ||
| Rep 20 | Say, Calvin | ||
| Rep 22 | Cuadra, Gregory | ||
| Rep 23 | Thomas E. White | ||
| Rep 24 | Choy, Isaac W | Tomson, Zach | |
| Rep 25 | Sabey, Isaiah | ||
| Rep 26 | Payne, Gary | Katz, Norm | |
| Rep 27 | Ching, Corrine | ||
| Rep 28 | Chang, David S. Y. | ||
| Rep 29 | Manahan, Joey | ||
| Rep 30 | Mizuno, John | Kaapu, Carole Kauhiwai | |
| Rep 31 | Ho, Sharon Lum | ||
| Rep 32 | Villaruz, Danny | ||
| Rep 33 | Okino, Gary | Kong, Sam | |
| Rep 34 | Wong, William G K | ||
| Rep 37 | Yamane, Ryan | Beth Fukumoto | |
| Rep 38 | Kawakami, Shaun Hayato | ||
| Rep 39 | Oshiro, Marcus | ||
| Rep 40 | Har, Sharon | ||
| Rep 42 | Cabanilla Arakawa, Rida | Tom Berg | |
| Rep 43 | Pine, Kymberly (Marcos) | ||
| Rep 44 | Awana, Karen Leinani | ||
| Rep 45 | Shimabukuro, Maile | ||
| Rep 46 | Sagasay, Larry | ||
| Rep 47 | Wooley, Jessica | Fale, Richard | |
| Rep 48 | Ito, Ken | ||
| Rep 49 | Chinen, Jon |
Non-Partisan Races
Hawaii Council: District 6 Smart, Brittany; District 7 Freire, Enock; District 8 Rath, Jim
Honolulu Mayor: Caldwell, Kirk
Honolulu Council: District II Shafer, Ben; District IV Turbin, Rich; Higashi, Carl Yasuo; Christensen, Makani ; Low, Jeremy D; District VI Tamayo, Tulsi Gabbard; Vieira, Bob; Nakasato, Dennis M; Lavoie, Frank; Fenton, Larry District VII Freire, Enock
Honolulu Prosecutor: Ching, Darwin
Kauai Council: Taylor, Kenneth R; Bieber, Rolf
Maui Mayor: Hodges, Mark; Miller, Harold H; Olson, Jonathon A
Maui Council: Makawao, White,Mike; Wailuku, Victorino, Michael
BOE at large: Takabayashi, Roger K; Hairgrove,Todd; Linville, Marcia
BOE II (Maui): Wurst, Barry
OHA at large: Makekau, Kealii
