Hawaii gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2014

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Hawaii Gubernatorial and Lieutenant Gubernatorial Election
Primary Date:
August 9, 2014
General Election Date:
November 4, 2014
Incumbent prior to election:
Neil Abercrombie Democratic Party
Shan Tsutsui Democratic Party
November 4 Election Winners:
David Ige Democratic Party
Shan Tsutsui Democratic Party
Gov. Neil Abercrombie
Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui
Hawaii State Executive Elections
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Governor • Lieutenant Governor
Current trifecta for Democrats
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State executive offices in Hawaii
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The Hawaii gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Neil Abercrombie (D) ran for re-election but lost the Democratic primary against state Sen. David Ige on August 9. The race to replace Abercrombie featured the Democratic ticket of Ige and Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui, Republican candidates Duke Aiona and Elwin Ahu, the Libertarian Party ticket of Jeff Davis and Cindy Marlin and Independent Party candidates Mufi Hannemann and Les Chang. Ige and Tsutsui won concurrent four-year terms in the general election.

The race was rated a "toss-up" by The Cook Political Report and Governing, among numerous other political analysts and publications.[1][2] Learn more about developments in this race, including Abercrombie's primary defeat, in the race background section.

The competitive gubernatorial contest was the only race on the November ballot that threatened to shift the partisan balance of power in Hawaii. Going into the 2014 elections, both chambers of the state legislature and the governorship were held by the Democratic Party, making Hawaii a state government trifecta, or a single-party government. The Hawaii House of Representatives and Hawaii State Senate were considered safe Democratic, but if the governor's office turned red, Hawaii would have lost its trifecta status. Learn more about the state's most competitive legislative races in 2014 on the battleground chambers page.

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Hawaii utilizes an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.[3][4][5][6]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article. The primary took place on August 9.

Candidates

General election

Republican Party Duke Aiona/Elwin Ahu[7]
Democratic Party David Ige/Shan TsutsuiGreen check mark transparent.png[8]
Libertarian Party Jeff Davis/Cindy Marlin[9]
Grey.png Independent Party candidates Mufi Hannemann/Les Chang[10]

Lost in the primary

Gubernatorial

Democratic Party Neil Abercrombie - Incumbent[11]
Democratic Party Van Tanabe[12]
Republican Party Charles Collins - Retired businessman, artist, frequent candidate[12]
Republican Party Stuart Gregory - Frequent candidate[12]

Lieutenant gubernatorial

Democratic Party Clayton Hee - State Sen.[13]
Democratic Party Sam Puletasi - State Medical Board Member[12]
Democratic Party Miles Shiratori - Lifeguard, Real Estate Investor[12]
Democratic Party Mary Zanakis - Television documentary producer[14]
Republican Party Kimo Sutton[15]

Disqualified

Independent (nonpartisan) Misty Davis[16]
Independent (nonpartisan) Khistina Dejean[16]
Independent (nonpartisan) Richard Morse, Jr.[16]

Withdrawn

Independent (nonpartisan) Joe Spatola - Entertainer[16]

Results

General election

Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Ige/Shan Tsutsui 49.5% 181,065
     Republican Duke Aiona/Elwin Ahu 37.1% 135,742
     Independent Mufi Hannemann/Les Chang 11.7% 42,925
     Libertarian Jeff Davis/Cindy Marlin 1.7% 6,393
Total Votes 366,125
Election results via Hawaii Office of Elections

Primary election

Democratic primary

Gubernatorial
Governor of Hawaii, Democratic Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Ige 67.4% 157,050
Neil Abercrombie Incumbent 31.5% 73,507
Van Tanabe 1.1% 2,622
Total Votes 233,179
Election results via Hawaii Division of Elections.
Lieutenant gubernatorial
Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii, Democratic Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngShan Tsutsui Incumbent 53.7% 120,779
Clayton Hee 36.1% 81,255
Mary Zanakis 8.1% 18,174
Miles Shiratori 1.2% 2,593
Sam Puletasi 0.9% 2,126
Total Votes 224,927
Election results via Hawaii Division of Elections.

Republican primary

Gubernatorial
Governor of Hawaii, Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngDuke Aiona 97.2% 41,832
Stuart Gregory 1.5% 640
Charles Collins 1.3% 580
Total Votes 43,052
Election results via Hawaii Division of Elections.
Lieutenant gubernatorial
Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii, Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngElwin Ahu 70.6% 27,678
Kimo Sutton 29.4% 11,511
Total Votes 39,189
Election results via Hawaii Division of Elections.


Race background

Ige defeats Abercrombie

In the Democratic primary election, state Sen. David Ige defeated Gov. Neil Abercrombie.[17][18][19] Prior to this primary, the last governor of Hawaii to lose a re-election campaign was Gov. William Francis Quinn (R) in 1962. Quinn lost to John Anthony Burns (D) in the general election.[20]

The week before the primary was held, a Honolulu Civil Beat poll of likely voters found Ige with 51 percent support to Abercrombie's 41 percent support.[21] Abercrombie was endorsed in the primary by President Barack Obama (D). Ige was endorsed by former governors Ben Cayetano and George Ariyoshi.

A New York Times article written two months before the primary election suggested that Abercrombie faced a more difficult re-election campaign due to his appointment of Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz (D) to the U.S. Senate in December 2012 following the death of Sen. Daniel Inouye (D). In a letter written before his death, Inouye requested the appointment of Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D) to his seat. The article argued that this decision sparked "a backlash that threatens to topple both Mr. Schatz and the governor — who had already been struggling during an occasionally tumultuous first term — in the Democratic primary on Aug. 9."[22]

In the aftermath of the primary, Abercrombie attributed his defeat to his decision to call a special session to legalize gay marriage in November 2013. He claimed that Republican opponents voted for Ige in the open Democratic primary. "Republicans crossed over en masse to vote in the Democratic primary, and then the religious factor came in," Abercrombie said.

Ige supported Abercrombie's decision to call for the special session. A spokeswoman for Ige's campaign, Lynn Kenton, said, "every candidate has the freedom to comment on their campaign, regardless of the outcome, and if that's what Gov. Abercrombie feels was his weaknesses, that would be for him to determine." [23]

Debates

October 15 debate

David Ige (D), Duke Aiona (R), and Mufi Hannemann (I) shared the stage during a debate sponsored by Hawaii News Now and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Hannemann criticized Ige and fellow legislators for rising electrical costs and problems faced by the state's public schools. He argued that Hawaii voters should question whether Ige could lead the way after spending 29 years in the legislature as the problems Aiona had pointed to developed. Ige responded that legislators have to reach consensus on major issues and that he was "running for governor because I know I can't do it as a legislator...I have to be governor to make these things work."[24]

Ige asserted that Aiona was selective in referring to his past experience as lieutenant governor, taking credit for some policies of the Lingle Administration while not associating himself with others. Aiona responded that voters could ask a similar question of Ige because he was running on a ticket with sitting Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui.[24]

Republican primary
Debate for Republican candidates for lieutenant governor.

Polls

Hawaii Governor - General Election
Poll David Ige (D) Duke Aiona (R)Mufi Hannemann (I)OtherUndecidedMargin of errorSample size
New York Times/CBS/YouGov
October 16-23, 2014		 54%22%5%0%19%+/-61,002
Merriman River
October 16-19, 2014		 40%34%11%6%8%+/-2.81,221
New York Times/CBS/YouGov
September 20-October 1, 2014		 41%35%6%0%18%+/-41,319
Rasmussen
September 9-10, 2014		 40%39%14%2%6%+/-4750
AVERAGES 43.75% 32.5% 9% 2% 12.75% +/-4.2 1,073
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Primary election

Governor of Hawaii - Democratic Primary
Poll Neil Abercrombie* David IgeUndecidedMargin of errorSample size
Honolulu Civil Beat/Merriman River Group (Survey of likely voters)
July 24-28, 2014		 41%51%8%+/-3.3895
Honolulu Civil Beat/Merriman River Group
June 7-9, 2014		 37%48%15%+/-3.0729
Honolulu Civil Beat/Merriman River Group
February 12-15, 2014		 37%37%26%+/-3.1643
Honolulu Star-Advertiser
February 1-11, 2014		 47%38%14%+/-4.3528
AVERAGES 40.5% 43.5% 15.75% +/-3.43 698.75
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

General Election Hypothetical Match-up

Three way match-up (includes Hannemann)
Poll Neil Abercrombie* (D) Duke Aiona (R)Mufi Hannemann (I)UndecidedMargin of errorSample size
Honolulu Civil Beat/Merriman River Group
June 7-9, 2014		 27%33%22%+/-3.01,078
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.
Abercrombie vs. Aiona
Poll Neil Abercrombie* (D) Duke Aiona (R)UndecidedMargin of errorSample size
Honolulu Star-Advertiser
February 1-11, 2014		 40%48%12%+/-3.9642
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Lieutenant gubernatorial primary

Hawaii Lieutenant Governor, Democratic Primary
Poll Shan Tsutsui* Clayton HeeMary ZanakisMiles ShiratoriUndecidedMargin of errorSample size
Hawaii News Now Poll
July 2014		 36%34%7%2%21%+/-4.6458
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.


Campaign media

Outside organizations

Hawaii Forward

Hawaii Forward ad: Closer
Hawaii Forward ad: Best

Republican Governors Association

RGA ad: Our Future

Past elections

2010

On November 2, 2010, Neil Abercrombie and Brian Schatz won election as Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii. They defeated the Aiona/Finnegan (R), Cunningham/Spence (F) and Pollard/Kama (NP) ticket(s) in the general election.

Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii, 2010
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngNeil Abercrombie & Brian Schatz 58.2% 222,724
     Republican Duke Aiona & Lynn Finnegan 41.1% 157,311
     Free Energy Daniel Cunningham & Deborah Spence 0.3% 1,265
     Nonpartisan Tom Pollard & Leonard Kama 0.3% 1,263
Total Votes 382,563
Election Results Via: Hawaii Office of Elections

Voter turnout

Political scientist Michael McDonald's United States Elections Project studied voter turnout in the 2014 election by looking at the percentage of eligible voters who headed to the polls. McDonald used voting-eligible population (VEP), or the number of eligible voters independent of their current registration status, to calculate turnout rates in each state on November 4. He also incorporated ballots cast for the highest office in each state into his calculation. He estimated that 81,687,059 ballots were cast in the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, representing 35.9 percent of the VEP.[25] By comparison, 61.6 percent of VEP voted in the 2008 presidential election and 58.2 percent of VEP voted in the 2012 presidential election.[26]

Quick facts

  • According to PBS Newshour, voter turnout in the 2014 midterms was the lowest since the 1942 midterms, which took place during the nation's involvement in World War II.[27]
  • Forty-three states and the District of Columbia failed to surpass 50 percent turnout in McDonald's analysis.
  • The three states with the lowest turnout according to McDonald's analysis were Texas (28.3 percent), Tennessee (28.6 percent), and Indiana (28.8 percent).
  • Maine (58.5 percent), Wisconsin (56.5 percent), and Colorado (54.5 percent) were the three states with the highest turnout.
  • There were only 12 states that increased voter turnout in 2014 compared to the 2010 midterm elections.[28]

Note: Information from the United States Elections Project was last updated on December 16, 2014.

Campaign finance

General election

Comprehensive donor information for this election has been collected by Follow the Money. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $5,726,295 during the election. This information was last updated on May 12, 2015.[29]

Campaign Contribution Totals
Candidate Office Result Contributions
David Ige/Shan Tsutsui Democratic Party Hawaii Governor/Lieutenant Governor Won $3,507,799
Duke Aiona/Elwin Ahu Republican Party Hawaii Governor/Lieutenant Governor Defeated $1,834,955
Mufi Hannemann/Les Chang Grey.png Hawaii Governor/Lieutenant Governor Defeated $376,838
Jeff Davis/Cindy Marlin Libertarian Party Hawaii Governor/Lieutenant Governor Defeated $6,703
Grand Total Raised $5,726,295

Gubernatorial primary election

Comprehensive donor information for this election has been collected by Follow the Money. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $4,804,347 during the election. This information was last updated on May 12, 2015.[30]

Campaign Contribution Totals
Candidate Office Result Contributions
Neil Abercrombie Democratic Party Hawaii Governor Defeated $4,801,394
Richard Morse, Jr. Grey.png Hawaii Governor Defeated $1,531
Khistina Dejean Grey.png Hawaii Governor Defeated $741
Stuart Gregory Republican Party Hawaii Governor Defeated $526
Joe Spatola Grey.png Hawaii Governor Defeated $155
Duke Aiona Republican Party Hawaii Governor Won $0
David Ige Democratic Party Hawaii Governor Won $0
Charles Collins Republican Party Hawaii Governor Defeated $0
Jeff Davis Libertarian Party Hawaii Governor Defeated $0
Misty Davis Grey.png Hawaii Governor Defeated $0
Mufi Hannemann Grey.png Hawaii Governor Defeated $0
Van Tanabe Democratic Party Hawaii Governor Defeated $0
Grand Total Raised $4,804,347

Lieutenant gubernatorial primary

Comprehensive donor information for this election has been collected by Follow the Money. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $271,412 during the election. This information was last updated on May 12, 2015.[31]

Campaign Contribution Totals
Candidate Office Result Contributions
Clayton Hee Democratic Party Hawaii Lieutenant Governor Defeated $186,988
Kimo Sutton Republican Party Hawaii Lieutenant Governor Defeated $77,393
Miles Shiratori Democratic Party Hawaii Lieutenant Governor Defeated $6,230
Sam Puletasi Democratic Party Hawaii Lieutenant Governor Defeated $801
Elwin Ahu Republican Party Hawaii Lieutenant Governor Won $0
Shan Tsutsui Democratic Party Hawaii Lieutenant Governor Won $0
Les Chang Grey.png Hawaii Lieutenant Governor Defeated $0
Cindy Marlin Libertarian Party Hawaii Lieutenant Governor Defeated $0
Mary Zanakis Democratic Party Hawaii Lieutenant Governor Defeated $0
Grand Total Raised $271,412

Key deadlines

Deadline Event
June 3, 2014 Filing deadline
August 9, 2014 Primary election
November 4, 2014 General election
December 1, 2014 Inauguration day for state executive officials in general election

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term "Hawaii + Governor + Election + 2014"

Hawaii Gubernatorial election, 2014 News Feed

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The Cook Political Report, "Governors Race Ratings 2014," September 15, 2014
  2. ↑ Governing, "2014 Governors Races," September 10, 2014
  3. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed October 25, 2019
  4. ↑ FairVote, "Primaries," accessed October 25, 2019
  5. ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
  6. ↑ State of Hawaii Office of Elections, "2018 Primary Election Ballot Position Determined," accessed October 25, 2019
  7. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named duke
  8. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named ige
  9. ↑ Jeff Davis for Governor 2014 Official campaign website, "Meet Jeff," accessed February 18, 2014
  10. ↑ Hawaii News Now, "Hannemann supporters reach goal, will Mufi run?" February 21, 2014
  11. ↑ Neil Abercrombie for Governor 2014 Official Campaign Website, "Homepage," accessed September 3, 2013
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Hawaii Division of Elections, "2014 Primary Candidate List: Certified," printed June 10, 2014
  13. ↑ Hawaii News Now, "Clayton Hee announces run for Lt. Governor," May 11, 2014
  14. ↑ Mary Zanakis for Lieutenant Governor 2014 Official campaign website, "Homepage" accessed June 30, 2014
  15. ↑ Kimo Sutton for Lieutenant Governor 2014 Official campaign website, "Homepage," accessed June 30, 2014
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 West Hawaii Today, "Nonpartisans in Hawaii governor race disqualified," June 25, 2014
  17. ↑ Real Clear Politics, "2014 Governor Races, Ratings Map," accessed June 30, 2014
  18. ↑ Hawaii Division of Elections, "Primary Election 2014 Results - Final Summary Report," accessed May 7, 2021
  19. ↑ Politico, "Schatz-Hanabusa race too close to call," August 10, 2014
  20. ↑ Honolulu Civil Beat, "Ige Holds Healthy Lead Over Abercrombie in Hawaii Governor’s Race," June 12, 2014
  21. ↑ Honolulu Civil Beat, "Civil Beat Poll: Ige Maintains Solid Lead Over Abercrombie," July 31, 2014
  22. ↑ The New York Times, "A Disregarded Request From a Beloved Senator Shakes Up Hawaii’s Primary," June 29, 2014
  23. ↑ USA Today, "Hawaii gov. blames political loss on gay marriage," August 30, 2014
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Hawaii News Now, "Final televised governor debate had winner and loser, analyst says," October 16, 2014
  25. ↑ United States Elections Project, "2014 November General Election Turnout Rates," November 7, 2014
  26. ↑ TIME, "Voter Turnout in Midterm Elections Hits 72-Year Low," November 10, 2014
  27. ↑ PBS, "2014 midterm election turnout lowest in 70 years," November 10, 2014
  28. ↑ U.S. News & World Report, "Midterm Turnout Down in 2014," November 5, 2014
  29. ↑ Follow the Money, "Overview of Hawaii 2014 elections," accessed May 12, 2015
  30. ↑ Follow the Money, "Overview of Hawaii 2014 elections," accessed May 12, 2015
  31. ↑ Follow the Money, "Overview of Hawaii 2014 elections," accessed May 12, 2015
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