2002–03 Hawaii's 2nd congressional district special elections

Last updated

There were two United States House of Representatives special elections in Hawaii's 2nd congressional district within 35 days of each other to select the successor to Democrat Patsy Mink who had died from pneumonia. The elections, held November 30, 2002, and January 4, 2003, were officially nonpartisan and each held as general elections without primaries to pick a successor for the remainder of her term in the 107th Congress and for the next term in the 108th Congress, to which Mink was posthumously re-elected. Both elections were won by Democrat Ed Case.

Contents

Background

On August 30, 2002, Mink was hospitalized in Honolulu's Straub Clinic and Hospital with complications from chickenpox. Her condition steadily worsened, and on September 28, 2002, Mink died in Honolulu of viral pneumonia. The week prior to her untimely death, she had won renomination. By this point, it was too late to remove her name from the general election ballot. On November 5, 2002, Mink was posthumously re-elected over state Representative Bob McDermott (R). As a result, this triggered two separate special elections: the first to fill the vacancy during the end of the 107th Congress and the second for the new term beginning on January 3, 2003. In accordance with Hawaiian law the elections were single nonpartisan races without primaries.

Election to the 107th Congress (November 30, 2002)

The two most notable candidates to compete in the first election were then-state representative and former state House Majority Leader Ed Case and John Mink, the former husband of the late Congresswoman. Despite the latter's connections to the district's prior representative, Case would win the election with fifty-one percent of the vote.

2002 Hawaii's 2nd district special election [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Ed Case 23,576 51.44%
Democratic John Mink16,62436.27%
Republican John S. Carroll 1,9334.22%
Republican Whitney Anderson 9422.06%
Nonpartisan candidate Mark McNett4490.98%
Democratic Kekoa David Kaapu2690.59%
Republican Richard Haake2290.50%
Republican Doug Fairhurst1730.38%
Republican Kimo Kaloi1490.33%
Green Nick Nikhilananda1360.30%
Democratic Solomon Nalua'i1160.25%
Republican Walter R. Barnes940.21%
Republican Carolyn Golojuch940.21%
Republican Clifford Rhodes860.19%
Republican Timmy Yuen850.19%
Republican Joe Conner830.18%
Republican Joseph Payne690.15%
Democratic Brian G. Cole670.15%
Democratic John L. Baker660.14%
Democratic Michael Gagne620.14%
Republican Bob Schieve550.12%
Nonpartisan candidate Ron Jacobs540.12%
Nonpartisan candidate Lillian Hong510.11%
Democratic Art Reyes510.11%
Nonpartisan candidate John Mayer470.10%
Libertarian Jeff Mallan330.07%
Libertarian Lawrence Duquesne320.07%
Democratic Steve Tataii280.06%
Nonpartisan candidate Bill Russell270.06%
Nonpartisan candidate John Parker270.06%
Green Gregory Goodwin270.06%
Democratic Charles Collins180.04%
Nonpartisan candidate Jack Randall160.03%
Democratic Paul Britos150.03%
Nonpartisan candidate Dan A. Cole150.03%
Nonpartisan candidate Mike Rethman110.02%
Nonpartisan candidate S.J. Harlan100.02%
Nonpartisan candidate Robert Martin Jr.100.02%
Total votes46,216 100%

Election to the 108th Congress (January 4, 2003)

The now-freshman incumbent Case immediately ran for reelection in the early January 2003 race for the second district seat in the 108th Congress, going up against more than three dozen other candidates. Other Democrats included state Senators Matt Matsunaga and Colleen Hanabusa. Republicans included state Representatives Barbara Marumoto and Bob C. McDermott, and former Honolulu Mayor Frank Fasi. Case won this election with 43 percent of the vote.

2003 Hawaii's 2nd district special election [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Ed Case 33,002 43.67%
Democratic Matt Matsunaga23,05030.5%
Democratic Colleen Hanabusa 6,0468.00%
Republican Barbara Marumoto 4,4975.95%
Republican Bob C. McDermott4,2985.69%
Republican Chris Halford7280.96%
Republican Kimo Kaloi6420.85%
Republican John S. Carroll 5210.69%
Republican Frank Fasi 4830.64%
Nonpartisan candidate Mark McNett4490.59%
Republican Jim Rath4140.55%
Republican Richard Haake2120.28%
Republican Nelson Secretario2080.28%
Republican Whitney Anderson 2010.27%
Nonpartisan candidate Ron Jacobs910.12%
Green Nick Nikhilananda750.10%
Democratic Brian G. Cole690.09%
Democratic Kekoa David Kaapu680.09%
Libertarian Jeff Mallan580.08%
Nonpartisan candidate Sophie Mataafa520.07%
Republican Doug Fairhurst380.05%
Democratic Michael Gagne350.05%
Republican Carolyn Martinez Golojuch290.04%
Green Gregory Goodwin270.04%
Republican Rich Payne250.03%
Republican Clarence Weatherwax250.03%
Nonpartisan candidate Kabba Anand240.03%
Nonpartisan candidate Dan Vierra220.03%
Republican John Sabey200.03%
Democratic Pat Rocco190.03%
Nonpartisan candidate Bill Russell180.02%
Nonpartisan candidate Steve Sparks170.02%
Nonpartisan candidate Solomon Wong160.02%
Democratic Art Reyes150.02%
Democratic Paul Britos130.02%
Nonpartisan candidate S.J. Harlan110.01%
Democratic Charles Collins100.01%
Nonpartisan candidate Jack Randall90.01%
Democratic Steve Tataii90.01%
Nonpartisan candidate Marshall Turner80.01%
Republican Mike Rethman80.01%
Democratic Herbert Jensen60.01%
Nonpartisan candidate Alan Gano30.01%
Nonpartisan candidate Bartle Rowland30.01%
Total votes76,328 100%

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States congressional delegations from Hawaii</span>

Since Hawaii became a state in 1959, it has sent congressional delegations to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives. Each state elects two senators to serve for six years. Members of the House of Representatives are elected to two-year terms, one from each of Hawaii's congressional districts. Before becoming a state, the Territory of Hawaii elected a non-voting delegate at-large to Congress from 1900 to 1958.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John D. Waiheʻe III</span> Governor of Hawaii from 1986 to 1994

John David Waiheʻe III is an American politician who served as the fourth governor of Hawaii from 1986 to 1994. He was the first American of Native Hawaiian descent to be elected to the office from any state of the United States. After his tenure in the governor's office, Waiheʻe became a nationally prominent attorney and lobbyist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">107th United States Congress</span> 2001-2003 U.S. Congress

The 107th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 2001 to January 3, 2003, during the final weeks of the Clinton presidency and the first two years of the George W. Bush presidency. The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the 1990 United States census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Case</span> U.S. Representative from Hawaii

Edward Espenett Case is an American lawyer and Democratic politician serving as the U.S. representative for Hawaii's 1st congressional district, which covers the urban core of Honolulu. He represented the 2nd district, which covers the rest of the state, from 2002 to 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patsy Mink</span> American politician (1927–2002)

Patsy Matsu Mink was an American attorney and politician from the U.S. state of Hawaii. She served in the United States House of Representatives for 24 years as a member of the Democratic Party, initially from 1965 to 1977, and again from 1990 until her death in 2002. She was the first woman of color and the first Asian-American woman elected to Congress, and is known for her work on legislation advancing women's rights and education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Saiki</span> American politician

Patricia Hatsue Saiki is an American politician and former educator from Hilo, Hawaii. She served as a Republican in Congress from 1987 to 1991 and then as Administrator of the Small Business Administration under President of the United States George H. W. Bush.

Hawaii's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It is represented by Jill Tokuda, who succeeded Kai Kahele after the 2022 election. The district encompasses all rural and most suburban areas of Oahu/Honolulu County, as well as the entire state outside of Oahu. It includes the counties of Kauai, Maui, Kalawao, and Hawaii. The district spans 331 miles. The most populous community entirely within the district is Hilo. Major segments of the economy include tourism, ranching, and agriculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campbell Cavasso</span> American politician

Campbell "Cam" Cavasso, is an American politician, businessman and perennial candidate. A Republican, Cavasso served three terms in the Hawaii House of Representatives from 1985 to 1991, and would later run for both chambers of the United States Congress in 2004, 2010, 2014, and 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Djou</span> Former U.S. Representative from Hawaii

Charles Kong Djou is an American politician who served as U.S. representative for Hawaii's 1st congressional district from 2010 to 2011. Appointed by President Joe Biden, Djou currently serves as the Secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission. A former member of the Republican Party, Djou won his congressional seat in a May 2010 special election where the Democratic Party vote was split between several candidates. He was defeated in the November general election after the Democratic primary provided a single opponent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colleen Hanabusa</span> American politician (born 1951)

Colleen Wakako Hanabusa is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Hawaii's 1st congressional district from 2011 to 2015 and again from 2016 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she ran for her party's nomination for governor of Hawaii in 2018, challenging and losing to incumbent and fellow Democrat David Ige.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawaii's congressional districts</span> U.S. House districts in the state of Hawaii

The U.S. state of Hawaii is divided into two congressional districts for representation in the United States House of Representatives. Before statehood, the Territory of Hawaii was represented by a non-voting delegate. From statehood until 1963, Hawaii had one representative. From 1963 to the creation of the two districts in 1971, Hawaii was represented in the United States House of Representatives with two representatives elected at-large statewide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2002 United States Senate special election in Missouri</span>

The 2002 United States Special Senate election in Missouri was held on November 5, 2002 to decide who would serve the rest of Democrat Mel Carnahan's term, after he died while campaigning and posthumously won the 2000 election. The winner would serve four more years until the next election in 2006. Missouri Governor Roger Wilson appointed Carnahan's wife Jean, also a Democrat, to serve temporarily. She then decided to run to serve the remainder of the term, but she was narrowly defeated by Republican nominee Jim Talent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii</span>

The 2010 congressional elections in Hawaii was held on November 2, 2010, to determine who was to represent the state of Hawaii in the United States House of Representatives for the 112th Congress from January 2011, until their terms of office expire in January 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Hawaii's 1st congressional district special election</span>

The 2010 special election for the 1st congressional district of Hawaii was a special election to the United States House of Representatives that took place to fill the vacancy caused by Representative Neil Abercrombie's resignation on February 28, 2010 to focus on his campaign for Governor of Hawaii in the 2010 gubernatorial election. Abercrombie planned to not run for re-election in 2010, and many of the candidates that were running for his open seat transferred to the special election. The election was held on May 22, 2010 and Republican Charles Djou won, defeating five Democrats, four fellow Republicans, and four Independent candidates. The main reason for his win was because there were two Democratic candidates instead of one, which split the votes, allowing Djou to win, as Hawaii is an overwhelmingly Democratic state. Djou became the first Republican elected to Congress from Hawaii since Pat Saiki in 1988; Djou volunteered on Saiki's 1988 campaign, and Saiki served as Djou's campaign chair in 2010. As of 2022, this was the last time in which a Republican was elected to Congress from Hawaii.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1976 United States Senate election in Hawaii</span>

The 1976 United States Senate election in Hawaii took place on November 2, 1976. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Hiram Fong did not seek re-election to a fourth term. Democrat Spark Matsunaga won the open seat by defeating Republican William Quinn.

There were two special elections to the United States House of Representatives during 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob McDermott</span> American politician

Robert Charles McDermott is an American politician and a Republican member of the Hawaii House of Representatives since November 6, 2012, representing District 40.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii</span>

The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the two U.S. representatives from the state of Hawaii, one from each of the state's two congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. The state's primary elections were held on August 8, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States Senate election in Hawaii</span>

The 2022 United States Senate election in Hawaii was held on November 8, 2022, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Hawaii. The primary took place on August 13.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Hawaii gubernatorial election</span> Election for the governorship of the U.S. state of Hawaii

The 2022 Hawaii gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the next governor of Hawaii. Incumbent Democratic Governor David Ige was term-limited and ineligible to run for a third term. Incumbent lieutenant governor Josh Green was the Democratic nominee, and faced former lieutenant governor Duke Aiona, the Republican nominee. This marked the third time Aiona had been the Republican gubernatorial nominee, having previously run unsuccessfully in 2010 and 2014. Green won the election with 63.2% of the vote with Aiona receiving 36.8% of the vote.

References

  1. "Office of Elections". elections.hawaii.gov. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  2. "SPECIAL ELECTION - STATE OF HAWAII - STATEWIDE" (PDF). January 5, 2003. Retrieved February 25, 2020.