The Environment Won in Hawaii Tonight! Brian Schatz Wins Hawaii Democratic Primary For U.S. Senate"
Endorsed by President Obama and Al Gore among many others!
Brian Schatz Wins Hawaii Democratic Primary For U.S. Senate
PAHOA, Hawaii (AP) - Incumbent Sen. Brian Schatz beat U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Hawaii late Friday, closing out a tight, emotional race that went into overtime after a tropical storm kept some voters from the polls.
Schatz extended his slim lead, gained in voting across the rest of the state, through a makeup election for more than 8,000 voters in two remote precincts that couldn't cast ballots during Saturday's primary because of blocked roads and power outages.
Hanabusa tried to delay the makeup election to give area residents more time to recover from the storm, but she lost a court challenge.
"I think we worked really hard and our message came through," Schatz said after declaring victory Friday. "We're just thrilled with the election results right now."
The rest of the story..
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/16/brian-schatz-wins-primary_n_5683845.html
I posted this in LBN earlier when it hadn't been decided yet..
"Pins and needles here on Kauai.. hoping for the Progressive who is more for our Environment than the corps."
Environmental Organization Endorsements
League of Conservation Voters
Ocean Champions
Sierra Club
http://brianschatz.com/about/endorsements/environmental-organization-endorsements/
Statement on Keystone Pipeline..
Friday, January 31, 2014
Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power, issued the following statement regarding the State Department’s final supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Keystone XL pipeline permit application:
“I am certain that encouraging the production of Canadian tar sands – some of the dirtiest oil in the world – is not in America’s national interest. As other agencies, Secretary Kerry, and ultimately President Obama review the environmental analysis, I would urge that they conclude that the environmental impacts of this pipeline are simply too high and reject the proposal. Climate change is the challenge of our generation and we need to be moving forward with policies to support clean energy, not backwards with dirty energy like the Keystone pipeline supports.”
http://www.schatz.senate.gov/press-releases/schatz-statement-on-keystone-pipeline-environmental-report
brooklynite http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=872450
Aloha! Hawaii!
= new reply since forum marked as read
silverweb~ 
was ahead at one point.. but, we did it! We got ourselves another Progressive Dem Senator hopefully. So many are saying that whoever won would be the next Senator because we are a Dem state.. it's just as to what degree!
Aloha~
More and better democrats!! That's what I like to hear!! I hope it shifts in my state. On Tuesday we need to Vote YES on 1. Crazy enough, Sarah Palin was the one to tax the Oil Companies. I know you're feeling shocked at the news. 
I am shocked but have a feeling that she has done a 180 that.. to satisfy her brainwashed teabagger fans.
Funnily enough, she's pissed that they're trying to repeal the law she wrote to 'rein in the Oil companies'! I love it!!
There's got to be some ice skating going on in one little corner of hell!
With Igloos and polar bears.
I want to make them take m for a ride, but they are lazy dogs.
Warm days, a bit of rain. But the sun shines so bright, it feels like i'm right up close to it. And the moose are still running around, stopping traffic, running the town.
I love it here. I just miss the beach, I'm a pisces, I need the ocean.
You do need the Ocean.. I seem to need it, too.. although I'm a leo and love the Sun.. I have Neptune in my 1st house. 
I love him. He is too much fun. Glad you approve of your nomination! Huzzah! 
Good to see the more progressive candidate pull out the victory.
indictment on Colleen Hanabusa! 
Thankfully Hawaii was smart enough not to go for her.
TexasTowelie http://www.democraticunderground.com/1047887
Aloha & Mahalo, TT!
.. it's beneficial to the whole Planet Earth! Something we all agree on!
of Hawaii! This was such a tight race and some not so good blood involved. The long time Senator Inouye requested that Gov Abercrombie appoint Colleen Hanabusa to fill his last two years when he was on his deathbed. But, the Gov appointed his then Lt Gov, Brian Schatz and it made some people mad, of course.
However, Hanabusa is so not friendly to the Environment but the Envionment Won Out.
This article tells a little about it.. from August 5, 2014..
More Bad News For Hanabusa: Hawaii Democrats Are Especially Sensitive to Industrial Pollution
TexasTowlie http://www.democraticunderground.com/1047887
I don't even know who the repubs are putting up.. in 2012 it was Linda Lingle who was the repub gov for 8 years and ran our State into the ground and got soundly beaten by Senator Mazie Hirono. I've read whoever the winner of this Dem primary is will undoubtedly go on to win in the General.. but, as always GOTV!!
!!
Just a quick skim for now, very early shift today. No clue when I'll get home, Cha.
From Cha's OP~ 
Brian Schatz Wins Hawaii Democratic Primary For U.S. Senate
And for the OP
I never bought into the narrative that just because Inouye professed her to be his choice, that she automatically should have been appointed by Abercrombie. That somehow the choice of a dying man supersedes the Constitution of the State of Hawaii. Hanabusa had more than enough resources to win this race, that she didn't is a testament to the value of competitive, democratic elections.
The people have spoken and Hanabusa would do well to sit a couple election cycles on the sideline, somehow I think much like Mufi she won't.
I initially was skeptical of Schatz, having met him in 2008, but to date he has exceeded my expectations. I look forward to him continuing to do so and ably representing the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party in Hawaii.
I didn't know much about Brian Schatz when Abercrombie appointed him but he obviously had his reasons.. maybe thinking he'd be better for the people of Hawaii and Hawaii!
Don't know much about David Ige now but I know he'll be a whole lot better for our state than anyone the repubs put up.
Oh yeah, speaking of "Mufi".. running as an Independent for Gov.. that could screw it up, yeah?
http://www.civilbeat.com/2014/08/hawaii-primary-schatz-hangs-on-to-win-us-senate-race/
Abercrombie has always been anti-establishment and appointing Schatz was really the ultimate act of that. Abercrombie has of course done himself in, but in doing so he's essentially passed that anti-establishment torch to Schatz. Abercrombie's downfall wasn't singularly because of this decision, but it certainly didn't help.
Republicans are putting up Duke Aiona, again. I fully expect Ige to bulldoze both Mufi and Aiona. Probably something like 50-30-20.
2016 between those two.. oh no!
"Abercrombie has always been anti-establishment and appointing Schatz was really the ultimate act of that. Abercrombie has of course done himself in, but in doing so he's essentially passed that anti-establishment torch to Schatz. Abercrombie's downfall wasn't singularly because of this decision, but it certainly didn't help."
That's what I was thinking yesterday.. Abercrombie passing his legacy on to Brian Schatz. And, Neil is 76 so he has had a long distinguished public service career. It can't have been easy to come in after 8 years of Linda Lingle.
Last edited Sat Aug 16, 2014, 10:06 PM - Edit history (1)
The strange thing about Abercrombie's term was that when he came in and the economy rebounded he was able to put the financial house in order. Following an incompetent like Lingle actually helped him since the economy improved and he was able to stabilize the government. After Abercrombie balanced the books, he started pressing too hard though on economic development to generate additional revenues. The pension tax and the Public Land Development Corporation were efforts to generate revenue, but they were political third rails, and obvious one's at that. I was for Abercrombie the first time, but would have voted for Ige.
I think what Schatz and Abercrombie have many things in common in terms of being outsiders who through sheer force of personality and will were able to become insiders. Schatz after 8 years representing of representing Makiki and McCully (urban Honolulu) in the State House came in 6th in the 2006 Democratic Primary for the 2nd district (not urban Honolulu), behind Mazie Hirono, Hanabusa, Matt Matsunaga, Clayton Hee and Gary Hooser. Talk about misjudgment! But he then went back to work for a non-profit and managed to get himself appointed Obama Campaign spokesman and Hawaii Democratic Chair before winning the Lt. Governorship in a much weaker primary field in 2010 and then winning with Abercrombie. I think/hope Schatz has learned from watching Abercrombie's political mistakes and from his own.
Aloha!
that history of Senator Schatz rise from obscurity.. he seems to be a full on progressive. Hope it holds.. Hawaii needs that. It seems like Senator Hirono is one too. I hope they get along well the next two years even though she was in Hanabusa's corner.
This is the first big high profile election he's won.. we can tell how hard they worked for it!
Aloha~
Cha~I just read Brian has to run in 2016(reminiscent of Senator Ed Markey!) and it will probably be against Hanabusa again.. but he has 2 more years to prove himself as invaluable to represent our state of Aloha.
In an email to supporters sent Tuesday, DFA's Executive Director Charles Chamberlain called Schatz one of the Democratic Party's "progressive champions under attack."
"Since Senator Schatz was appointed to fill Senator Inouye's seat at the end of 2012, he has worked tirelessly with Elizabeth Warren and others in the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party," Chamberlain wrote. "He isn't just a reliable vote for progressives in Washington D.C., he takes it a step further and organizes other Senators to join him. Whether it's fighting on the front lines against climate change, defending a woman's right to choose, or expanding Social Security, Brian Schatz has proven he's a true progressive leader."
snip//
The primary between Schatz and Hanabusa is the first Senate race DFA has stepped into this election cycle. The group is supporting Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) in another high-octane primary against Democrat Ro Khanna.
Schatz has also picked up endorsements from MoveOn.org, the Sierra Club, the League of Conservation Voters and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Hanabusa has the backing of EMILY's List, a group that works to elect Democratic women who support abortion rights.
More!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/18/brian-schatz-endorsement_n_4809697.html
Aloha~
Thanks for the thread and Mahalo, Cha. 
Mahalo to you..
