By CATHY BUSSEWITZ ADVERTISING By CATHY BUSSEWITZ Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — State Sen. David Ige coasted to a win as Hawaii’s next governor Tuesday night, allowing Democrats to hold on to the state’s highest office after voters resoundingly ousted
By CATHY BUSSEWITZ
Associated Press
HONOLULU (AP) — State Sen. David Ige coasted to a win as Hawaii’s next governor Tuesday night, allowing Democrats to hold on to the state’s highest office after voters resoundingly ousted incumbent Gov. Neil Abercrombie in the primary.
Ige, who promised to bring a gentler style of governing than his predecessor, prevailed after a grueling fight with Republican James “Duke” Aiona.
His softer style was on display Tuesday night as he demurred in claiming victory for hours, even after returns showed him with 49 percent of the vote versus Aiona’s 37 percent in the four-way race.
“We knew that we were facing a huge challenge, and we knew that it would be about getting back to old-fashioned, grassroots campaigning,” Ige said.
He said he overcame opposition by “being willing to listen” in every community he visited.
Ige, 57, who served as chairman of the state Senate’s Ways and Means Committee, touted his experience balancing the state budget, saying he made tough decisions to rein in spending proposed by Abercrombie.
Aiona, Independent Party candidate Mufi Hannemann and Libertarian Jeff Davis promised to change the status quo, but they were unable to shake the state’s Democratic leaning.
Aiona promised to address Hawaii’s high cost of living, saying that he would create jobs and promoting a plan to address homelessness.
He told supporters Tuesday night that his campaign inspired other Republican candidates and he pledged to support the Ige administration.
“We will persevere. In life, sometimes things just don’t go your way, and you’ve got to pick yourselves up,” he said. “Where do we go from here? We leave it up to the man upstairs and see where he’s going to take us.”
After Ige came from behind in a dramatic upset of Abercrombie in the August primary, Republicans tried to capitalize on Abercrombie’s unpopularity by casting Ige as his ally.
Republican-affiliated groups, deeming the seat up for grabs, swooped in to influence the election and were met by spending from groups aligned with Democrats.
The Republican Governors Association poured $2.2 million into advertisements that portrayed Ige as a tax raiser who would hurt Hawaii’s economy, while the Democratic Governors Association gave money to the super PAC Hawaii Forward, which spent $1.8 million running ads that portray Aiona as an anti-abortion advocate who doesn’t share Hawaii’s values.
But Ige prevailed, emphasizing his experience and willingness listen to constituents.
Malia Umi, 31, a waitress from Honolulu, said she voted for Ige and other Democrats because she believes they have her best interests at heart.
“They’re a lot more for the socially, economically disadvantaged people,” she said.
Aiona’s more conservative position on social issues won over some voters. Kat Duvernay, 32, of Honolulu, said she voted for Aiona because of his opposition to abortion.
“I like people with convictions, and you know, what got me was the abortion issue,” she said. “He said, ‘My stance is I’m not OK with that,’ and he stayed with it.”
The onslaught of negative ads led some voters to choose Hannemann, a former Democrat who championed high-speed rail as mayor of Honolulu and proposed an interisland super ferry.
“I’m just tired of the politics on both sides, Democrats and Republicans,” said Anthony Flowers, 36, of Honolulu, who voted for Hannemann.
Hannemann told supporters Tuesday night that they should hold their heads high.
“The way we ran this campaign, it was about ideas. It was about issues,” he said.
