GOP, Dems Benefit Equally From Hawaii’s Big Donors
WASHINGTON — Hawaii’s seven most generous donors have shelled out $81,810 toward 2012 elections in the first nine months of the year, slightly more than half of it to GOP interests, according to a maintained by the Center for Responsive Politics and records.
The largest sum — $20,400 from a retired Kauai woman named Rosalie Danbury — went to Washington, D.C.-based DNC Services Corp., a Democratic political action committee, and President Barack Obama.
Four Republican donors gave a combined $41,410, just barely edging out the three Democrats who gave $40,400. Â
Some familiar names are on the list of Hawaii donors, including Abigail Kawananakoa, an heir to the James Campbell Estate who traces her ancestry to Hawaiian royalty. She gave $15,000 to the Republican National Committee. Honolulu dentist and philanthropist Lawrence Tseu gave $7,500 to the Hawaii Republican Party.
Oceanit CEO Patrick Sullivan gave $5,000 to Sen. Daniel K. Inouye‘s political action committee. He also gave $2,500 apiece to Reps. Mazie Hirono and Colleen Hanabusa, who are running for Senate and re-election in the House, respectively.
Here are the seven Hawaii residents who contributed the most between January and August, the most recent month for which the Center for Responsive Politics has data posted on its website.
| Donor (island) | Occupation | Total | Recipients (Party) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rosalie Danbury (Kauai) | Retired | $20,400 | DNC Services Corp. (D), Barack Obama (D) |
| Abigail Kawananakoa (Oahu) | Retired | $15,000 | Republican National Cmte |
| Lawrence Brown (Oahu) | Self-employed | $10,000 | DNC Services Corp. (D) |
| Patrick Sullivan (Oahu) | Oceanit CEO | $10,000 | DANPAC (D), Mazie Hirono (D), Colleen Hanabusa (D) |
| Lester Kaneta (Oahu) | Kaneta Foundation | $10,000 | Republican Party of Hawaii |
| Charles Sporck (Oahu) | Retired | $8,910 | Republican National Cmte, National Republican Senatorial and Congressional committees, Michele Bachmann (R) |
| Lawrence Tseu (Oahu) | Dentist | $7,500 | Republican Party of Hawaii |
Many Hawaii residents have given the maximum $5,000 donation to an individual candidate — that includes $2,500 for the primary election and $2,500 for the general election. Civil Beat looked exclusively at donors who exceeded that $5,000 amount by also giving to national parties or political action committees.
With the 2012 election season just gearing up, Hawaii residents are likely to far surpass the contributions that have been made so far. Looking at overall donations so far this year better reveals the weighty Democratic influence in Hawaii. Out of $1 million in total campaign contributions, 73 percent — or $757,398 — has gone to Democratic candidates and groups. The remaining $273,664 went to Republicans interests.
