Hawaii County’s Democratic candidates for state Senate seats all appeared to be smoothly sailing to victory Tuesday evening, with all precincts reporting in shortly before 10 p.m.
Hawaii County’s Democratic candidates for state Senate seats all appeared to be smoothly sailing to victory Tuesday evening, with all precincts reporting in shortly before 10 p.m.
State Sen. Gil Kahele, D-Hilo, took 86.3 percent of the vote counted, versus his Libertarian opponent, Gregory (Kobata) Arianoff, for the District 1 seat.
With 11,538 Hilo voters casting their votes for Kahele to Arianoff’s 1,838, the state senator pulled off a commanding win. When contacted for comment, he said he was “humbled and honored that the people of Hilo gave me the opportunity to serve them for the next four years.”
Kahele said he was pleased to see how other candidates were faring statewide.
“I’m really happy how it’s turned out statewide,” he said. “With David Ige and Shan Tsutsui looking to be the team that will lead the state, and my having worked with both of them, I think we can work together going forward. That relationship is really important.”
Arianoff wasn’t willing to concede earlier in the evening, but said he was encouraged by the number of voters who supported a Libertarian candidate, showing that a change is needed.
“It’s a very major Democratic stronghold, and we’re showing that people are starting to pay attention and wanting some changes,” he said.
One major disappointment, however, was the number of people who chose to cast their ballots this year.
“It’s looking like a very low percentage now, and I think that’s the biggest issue we have here in Hawaii,” he said.
Meanwhile, state Sen. Josh Green also won the state Senate District 3 seat handily, garnering 82.5 percent of the ballots, versus his Libertarian opponent Michael L. Last. Green had tallied 8,797 votes to Last’s 1,870 votes.
“I feel very grateful. I’ve worked really hard for the Big Island, so I’m really appreciative of the people’s trust and their generosity,” Green said.
He added that he, too, would like to see more people choosing to weigh in on local elections.
“I think we should be encouraging everyone to vote. That way, we ensure we get the best people. I think that’s one of the challenges of our generation.”
Going forward, Green, who works as an emergency room physician at Kona Community Hospital, said he would work to fix the state’s public hospital system.
“The moment they certify the results, I’ll be at work making sure we rescue the hospital system. That’s my top priority.”
Other top issues will include drug addiction, and making sure the Big Island gets its fair share of state resources, he said.
Last, a 67-year-old retired electrical engineer who lives in Naalehu, displayed a sense of humor, answering his phone as “Last place.”
He ran for the same seat in 2012 as an Independent. He said he went Libertarian this time to get on the ballot, and acknowledged he didn’t expect to win.
“I ran just to give people a choice,” Last said. “I mean it, seriously. I want to be able to have a choice.”
In the state Senate District 4 race, Lorraine Rodero Inouye was celebrating victory over Libertarian Alain Schiller, with 8,780 votes to 2,501, or 77.8 percent to 22.2 percent.
“We’re pleased and we’re thankful,” Inouye, a former mayor and councilwoman, said about her return to the senate, where she served between 1998 and 2008.
Asked about her priorities, Inouye, a Democrat who defeated state Sen. Malama Solomon in the primaries, said, “health care and the (state) hospitals are a deep concern of mine.”
“We need to address that issue and we must take action this session,” she said.
Schiller, who lives in Waikoloa, said he was encouraged by his support.
He said Libertarians have had trouble getting out their message “in light of what was done to Jeff Davis in Honolulu,” referring to his party’s gubernatorial candidate’s exclusion from televised debates. Davis filed suit against Hawaii News Now, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and the University of Hawaii.
“It’s hard if you’re not in the two main parties,” Schiller said.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
Email Colin M. Stewart at cstewart@hawaiitribune-herald.com.