The AFL-CIO is throwing its weight into the Hawaii First District special election, actively backing state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa in a new pair of mailers — and going further by attacking the other Democrat in the race, former Rep. Ed Case.
The mailers target two key union demographics, warning them of the dire consequences that the union says Case’s positions would mean for them. Public employees are told of “layoffs,” “cutting pensions” and other negative developments, while longshore workers are told: “Ed Case Will Put Your Job AT RISK.”
This special election was caused by the resignation of Democratic Rep. Neil Abercrombie, who wanted to focus full time on his campaign for governor. The race has seen a potentially crucial split in Democratic support. It has been widely reported that the DCCC is unofficially backing Case, who enters the race with very high name recognition from unsuccessful but very close Democratic primary campaigns for governor in 2002 and a 2006 primary challenge against incumbent Sen. Daniel Akaka. Meanwhile, the state Democratic establishment — as embodied by Akaka and Hawaii’s senior Senator Daniel Inouye — are backing Hanabusa.
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It is very interesting to note that while the DCCC put up a TV ad last week, the ad was focused entirely on attacking the Republican candidate, Honolulu city councilman Charles Djou, and did not mention either of the two Democrats. However, the AFL-CIO is going to bat directly against the relatively more conservative Dem, and thus contradicting the reported preferences of the national Democratic Party.
Hawaii special elections for the House do not function according to the usual rules in other states, where candidates either compete in separate party primaries, or the parties select their candidates through an internal party committee process. Instead, a single-round election is held in which all the candidates appear together on one ballot, and the plurality-winner takes the whole thing. The election will be conducted by mail, and will end on May 22.
With two Democrats on the ballot to just one Republican, the potential does exist for a split Democratic vote to let the Republican sneak in — even in a district that Barack Obama carried with 70% of the vote in 2008. A reportedly DCCC internal poll has the race at Case 32%, Djou 32%, Hanabusa 27%.
(Via The Hotline.)
