Politics of Hawaii

The politics of the U.S. state of Hawaii take place within the framework of a Democrat-dominated government.

Hawaii
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Hawaii
This article is about the history of the politics of the State of Hawaii. For information on the political history of its two previous forms of government, see Territory of Hawaii § Organic Act and Kingdom of Hawaii § Government.

State government
Main article: Hawaii State Legislature

The Hawaii state government is composed of a bicameral system, with the Hawaii senate and the Hawaii House of Representatives making up the upper and lower houses.[1]

Congressional representation

Hawaii's congressional politics are typically dominated by Democrats. The state has elected just one Republican U.S. senator, Hiram Fong, who served from 1959 to 1977, and two GOP House members.[2] The rest have been Democrats. Hawaii is currently represented in the Senate by Democrats Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz. In the House, Ed Case (HI-1) and Tulsi Gabbard (HI-2) represent the state.[3]

County governments

City and County of Honolulu - Kirk Caldwell
County of Hawaii - Harry Kim
County of Maui - Michael Victorino
County of Kauai - Derek Kawakami

Political parties

The Democratic Party has maintained power in the state for more than forty years. Prior to that, the Republican Party ruled comfortably, winning almost every election in the first half of the twentieth century.[4]

Hawaiian nationalism
Kanaka Maoli flag was erroneously reported as the original Hawaiian flag. It has become a popular among Hawaiian nationalists after it was introduced in 2001 by Gene Simeona[5]
Ka Hae Hawaiʻi flown upside down, symbolizing distress, used by Hawaiian separatists.

Hawaiian nationalism is focused on producing a national identity. Most Hawaiian nationalists have argued that the Hawaiian race and their descendants should govern the islands as a constitutional monarchy.[6] It is also important to note that Hawaiian nationalism is not limited to Native Hawaiians but have included other groups including whites and Asians such as Walter M. Gibson.

However, most citizens of Hawaii do not share the same sentiments of the sovereignty movement with public opinion seemly being in favor of remaining a part of the United States. As of 2014 a poll by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser found that only 6% of respondents supported the creation of a Native Hawaiian nation with 63% being against it.[7]

Presidential elections
Presidential elections results
Year Republican Democratic
2016 30.03% 128,847 62.22% 266,891
2012 27.84% 121,015 70.55% 306,658
2008 26.58% 120,446 71.85% 325,588
2004 45.26% 194,191 54.01% 231,708
2000 37.46% 137,845 55.79% 205,286
1996 31.64% 113,943 56.93% 205,012
1992 36.70% 136,822 48.09% 179,310
1988 44.75% 158,625 54.27% 192,364
1984 55.10% 185,050 43.82% 147,154
1980 42.90% 130,112 44.80% 135,879
1976 48.06% 140,003 50.59% 147,375
1972 62.48% 168,865 37.52% 101,409
1968 38.70% 91,425 59.83% 141,324
1964 21.24% 44,022 78.76% 163,249
1960 49.97% 92,295 50.03% 92,410

Hawaii is dominated by the Democratic Party and has supported Democrats in every presidential in which it has participated, except 1972 and 1984, when the incumbent Republican candidates won 49-state landslides. In 2004, John Kerry won the state's 4 electoral votes by a margin of 9 percentage points with 54% of the vote. Every county in the state supported the Democratic candidate. In 2008, Barack Obama won by an overwhelming 45 point lead: 72% for the Democrat and 27% for Republican John McCain. Hawaii is the only actual state that gave either candidate more than 70% of the vote. Obama again won Hawaii by a large margin in 2012, suffering only a small swing against him, winning 71% to 28% for Republican Mitt Romney. Hawaii once again gave a higher vote share to Obama than any of the 49 other states, though on this occasion, Obama's vote was not quite as high as his challenger's best state (Utah, where Mormon Romney polled 73%).

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See also

References
  1. Inc., US Legal. "Hawaii State Legislature – System". system.uslegal.com. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
  2. Bernstein, Adam (2004-08-20). "Hiram Fong, 97; Senator From Hawaii for 18 Years". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
  3. "Hawaii Senators, Representatives, and Congressional District Maps - GovTrack.us". GovTrack.us. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
  4. "History". Democratic Party of Hawai‘i. 2015-10-27. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
  5. "The Honolulu Advertiser | Local News". the.honoluluadvertiser.com. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  6. "Hawaiian nationalist discusses rights Constitution doesn't recognize (4/98)". news.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
  7. Hill, Malia (2014-06-03). "Star-Advertiser Poll Indicates a Lack of Enthusiasm for a Native Hawaiian Nation | Grassroot Institute of Hawaii". Retrieved 2019-11-24.
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