Djou: I Was Hawaii’s Most Moderate Congressman
In a recent debate with Democratic opponent Colleen Hanabusa, Republican Charles Djou said that he is proud of his record as a moderate representative.
鈥淚 am proud of the National Journal ranking me as one of the only 10 moderates left in Congress when I was there in the 111th Congress,鈥 Djou said during the Sept. 25 1st Congressional District debate on Hawaii Public Radio. 鈥淚 was the most independent member of Hawaii鈥檚 congressional delegation and broke ranks with pretty much almost any 鈥 more so than almost any other Republican and I鈥檓 proud of that.鈥
Djou, who served in Congress for seven months after winning a 2010 May special election, is only the Hawaii has ever sent to Congress. After losing to Hanabusa in November 2010, he’s trying to regain the seat by emphasizing his bipartisanship.
The ability to work across party lines has become a this election both in Hawaii and nationally. Given the degree of political polarization in D.C., candidates like Djou have sought to prove that they’ll be different through their willingness to think beyond their party’s ideology.
But is what Djou said accurate?
The National Journal reported that in the 111th Congress 鈥渙nly 10 lawmakers have voting records that overlap with the opposing party鈥 and as one of the 鈥渇ading embers of a centrist era gone by.鈥
Djou didn’t rank all that high on the magazine’s 2010 most conservative lawmaker list 鈥 he came in at No. 175 out of 535 voting members of Congress.
He falls squarely in the middle of the pack at No. 253 for most liberal representative.
Here is how Djou stacked up in the magazine鈥檚 2010 on partisanship, with 50 being the most moderate score:
| Issue Type | Liberal | Conservative |
|---|---|---|
| Economic | 38 | 62 |
| Social | 47 | 53 |
| Foreign | 40 | 60 |
| Composite Score | 41.7 | 58.3 |
In contrast, the National Journal ranked Hawaii’s Congressional District 2 Rep. Mazie Hirono the 25th most liberal representative in 2010. Sen. Daniel Akaka and Sen. Daniel K. Inouye tied as the 19th most liberal senators in the same analysis.
Civil Beat reported earlier this month that Hanabusa 95.5 percent of the time and is the 14th most liberal member of the House.
You can listen to the full debate .
BOTTOM LINE: Djou said that he was ranked one of only 10 moderates in the 111th Congress by the National Journal. He also said that he was the most moderate member of Hawaii’s congressional delegation in 2010. Civil Beat finds his statements to be TRUE.
