Hawaii's Governor Loses Primary Race, Makes History
Amidst news that big storms had passed over Hawaii, the state's governor, Neil Abercrombie, lost his bid for re-election, drawing the curtains on nearly four decades in elected office.
His fellow Democrat and former underdog State Sen. David Ige overcame a number of odds—including an endorsement from Barack Obama for the incumbent, and having been vastly outspent during his campaign—to defeat Abercrombie by 35 percentage points with 99 percent of precincts reporting. Ige said that his unlikely win "proves that people power can be money power, especially in Hawaii."
In his concession speech, Abercrombie recalled his time in office, pledged his support Mr. Ige going forward, and reiterated his love for the Aloha State.
"Every waking breath that I've taken, every thought that I've had before I slept, was for Hawaii. Whatever faults I had, one of them has never been a failure to give all that I can every day," he said. "Hawaii is everything to me."
Abercrombie is the first incumbent governor in Hawaii's history to lose in his party's primary, as well as the first sitting governor to lose his seat this year. It's thought that his recent appointment of Brian Schatz to Senate instead of Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, against the deathbed-wishes of beloved late senator Daniel Inouye, may have contributed to his waning popularity. Schatz and Hanabusa's race, a special election to fill the remainder of Inouye's term through 2016, has been deemed too close to call.
[Image via AP]