December 21, 2009
THERE ARE NO SAFE SEATS:
GOP sets sights on blue Hawaii (JOSH KRAUSHAAR, 12/21/09, Politico)
[T]he vacancy will be filled after an all-party primary where the winner needs to garner only a plurality of the vote.Posted by Orrin Judd at December 21, 2009 6:47 AMUnder normal circumstances, Democrats would have a clear advantage holding the seat — the 1st District gave President Barack Obama 70 percent of the vote last year. But in the wake of Abercrombie’s abrupt resignation announcement, two solid and politically experienced Democrats, former Rep. Ed Case and state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa, announced they’re running, and their candidacies have raised the prospect that they could split the bulk of the Democratic vote.
Under that very plausible outcome, the lone Republican candidate, Honolulu City Councilman Charles Djou, would have a credible shot at winning the race.