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Editor’s note:��These results have been updated as of 7:29 p.m. Wednesday.

Well before the polls closed in Hawaii, major national news outlets called the state for Vice President Kamala Harris. On their big graphic U.S. maps, Hawaii went blue.

It was a safe bet in a state dominated by Democrats. By the time most of the results were in Wednesday evening, Harris appeared destined to score Hawaii’s four Electoral College votes, leading former President Donald Trump here 60% to 37.1%. But by then Harris had conceded the race to Trump.

On Tuesday, inside the Democratic Party of Hawaii’s election night party in downtown Honolulu, the celebratory mood gradually became subdued as television screens showed other states turning red. Hours later, Trump clinched the election.

Gov. Josh Green spoke about two hours before some national news outlets projected that Trump would win. By then, the U.S. Senate had already reverted to GOP control.

“And at the end of the day there is a right and there is a wrong,” Green told the audience at the Inspiration Hawaii Museum. “And we have to remember that if the country makes a mistake — and it would be a mistake to put a person of like Donald Trump back into the White House — we have to remember that there is an absolute, at times, to fight for people, to care for people.”

Green talked about his 17-year-old daughter, Maia, who is headed to college next year.

“And I will tell you, it hurts a little bit more to imagine that someone would run on a candidacy and would not care about women, that would flaunt their power over them, that would stand up as a president of the United States and not look out for those individuals. It hurts.”

Green concluded: “It’s going to take a new kind of bravery if we have a president that actually tries to carry out the rhetoric that we have witnessed in these last, say, six months.”

Another speaker, U.S. Rep. Ed Case, said it was important to listen to the other side.

“We have work to do tomorrow, win or lose, because every opportunity is the opportunity to listen to the voters,” he said. Case described voting as “the most raw, the most direct way, the only real way” that the voters have to express their feelings.

“And that’s what the future holds,” he said, adding that Democrats in Hawaii should still uphold and fight for their party’s values.

Upbeat Mood At Republican Watch Party

Less than a mile away at Artistry Honolulu, a call and response began with from the stage with a “MA!” to which the crowd eagerly responded, “GA!” State chair of the Hawaii Republican Party Tamara McKay was in a good mood: Trump was doing better than expected, as were the party’s Senate candidates, and Congress looked promising, too.

“It’s very exciting,” McKay said.

McKay worries about the cost of living in Hawaii and said a Trump victory could lead to repeal of the Jones Act, which some blame for keeping the price of goods high here through its regulation of shipping.

“We’re going at the end of the term of the Biden-Harris regime, and what have we seen out out of it?” McKay asked. “We’ve seen increase of gas pricing, increase of economy. They’re shipping homeless people over to Hawaii.”

A Blue Wave Is Typical In Hawaii

A big blue wave headed toward other federal races in Hawaii, as U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono and U.S. Reps. Ed Case and Jill Tokuda led their opponents by large margins.

Hirono had 62.1% of the vote, trailed by Republican Bob McDermott with 30.7%. Green Party candidate Emma Pohlman and We The People candidate Shelby Pikachu Billionaire each had less than 2%.

Case, who represents the 1st Congressional District, led Republican Patrick C. Largey 65.3% to 25.8%. Tokuda, the 2nd Congressional District incumbent, had 61.4% of the vote compared to 27.9% for Republican Steve Bond, while Libertarian Aaron Toman and nonpartisan Randall Kelly Meyer had less than 2% each.

The results from the Hawaii Office of Elections include ballots received and counted through Saturday and from in-person voter service centers that closed before Tuesday.

More complete reports on Hawaii voting are expected Wednesday morning and should include all voter service center results as well as any additional mail-in ballots counted between the first and second reports.

Hawaii has only elected two Republicans president since statehood in 1959, and Democratic candidates typically win in landslides.

The state has also only sent a few Republicans to serve in the U.S. Congress, and only one incumbent has ever lost reelection — a Republican.

Easy wins for Hirono, Case and Tokuda have been expected. Among the challengers, only McDermott, a former state legislator, had any name recognition. He also lost to U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz in 2022.

Case was first elected to the first district in 2019, having previously represented the second district from 2002 to 2007. CD1, as it is called, represents the urban and suburban core of Honolulu, while CD2 covers the remainder of Oahu and the neighbor islands.

Tokuda, a former state senator, is in her first term. Hirono previously served in the U.S. House and is a former lieutenant governor and state legislator.