Hawaii: Hanabusa Outraises Djou
According to pre-primary fundraising reports filed in Hawaii’s 1st district Tuesday, Democrat Colleen Hanabusa reported raising $333,000 from July 1 to Aug. 29. That far outpaced GOP Rep. Charles Djou’s $206,000 take during the period.
Both candidates, who faced off along with former Rep. Ed Case (D) in a May special election, are expected to easily win their respective Sept. 18 primaries.
Hanabusa has $404,000 left in the bank to spend on the general election against Djou, who has $428,000.
Along with Louisiana’s 2nd district and Delaware’s at-large district, political handicappers believe this Honolulu-based district is one of the three GOP seats most likely to flip back to Democrats in November. However, Republicans in Washington, D.C., have privately expressed confidence that Djou will be able to hold the seat despite the heavy Democratic lean of the district.
In May, Djou won the special election with 39 percent, as Hanabusa and Case split the Democratic vote with 31 percent and 28 percent, respectively.