The Dems have been struggling with a needlessly self-inflicted wound in Hawaii for months. The special election to succeed Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D) is a plurality three way race, with two Dems and one Republican. Since the Dems are splitting the big Democratic vote it looks like the Republican has a very good shot of winning a plurality. Since the local Dems haven’t been able to get its act together the DCCC has just announced it’s pulling out of the race.
There is an important qualifier to this bad news for the Dems. The regular election in November will go by the regular rules — a straight up partisan contest. And it’s hard to believe the Republican in the race, Charles Djou, won’t be beat by the regular Democratic nominee. Still, it’s the kind of media story the Dems would very much like to avoid in this political climate.
