UPDATE: Special Elections Past and Present
Hawaii Democrats are likely to rally around a single candidate — Ed Case, Colleen Hanabusa, someone — in the Sept. 18 primary to take on the (likely) Republican incumbent Charles Djou Nov. 2. Worried about losing the U.S. House, the national Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is sure to put its firepower behind Dems.
One wonders, though, what would have happened had Hawaii held the May 22 special election the same day as the primary, as some state legislators suggested when Neil Abercrombie made clear his intentions to step down to run for governor. Sure, Hawaii would have been down one delegate in Congress for seven months, but is that any sillier than sending someone new to serve in Congress for only seven months?
Abercrombie himself won the 1986 special election to replace Cec Heftel (who resigned to run for governor) but lost to Mufi Hannemann in the primary election held simultaneously. Abercrombie served in Congress for less than four months and was succeeded by Republican Pat Saiki, who beat Mufi in the general that year.
More silliness, at taxpayers’ expense: Patsy Mink won the 2002 primary from a hospital bed, died before the general, was elected posthumously, and was succeeded by Ed Case in a special election four weeks later. Case finished the month or so left on Mink’s term and then won a second special election in early January to serve the next two years.
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