Primary Election Results

Molokai voters joined residents around the state last Saturday in casting their ballot in the Primary Election. Some also voted early through walk-in voting or mailed ballots. Results largely favored incumbents, or those currently holding the seat.

Statewide, incumbent governor David Ige won the Democratic race with 50.2 percent of the votes over challenger Colleen Hanabusa with 43.4 percent. Ige will be facing Republican Primary winner Andrea Tupola, who received 53.0 percent of her party’s vote, in the General Election. Democratic Lieutenant Governor candidate Josh Green earned a spot on the November ballot with 30.2 percent of his party’s votes.

Incumbent District II U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard with 75.6 percent of the votes will face Republican Primary winner Brian Evans. Democratic incumbent U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono ran unopposed and will run against Republican winner Ron Curtis in November.

Molokai’s incumbent Lynn DeCoite won the Democratic vote for State Representative District 13 with 55.3 percent of the votes, over challenger John-Bull English with 37.1 percent.

In the State Senator Distict 7 race, incumbent J. Kalani English won the Democratic vote with 61.3 percent of the vote statewide, followed by Michael Tengan with 21.3 percent and Molokai’s Gayla Haliniak with 7.3 percent. On her home island, Haliniak garnered between 15 and 30 percent of Molokai votes in most precincts.

For Maui County Mayor, Mike Victorino won the Primary with 39.8 percent over Elle Cochran with 30.6 percent and Don Guzman with 24 percent. By Maui County law, the top two candidates — Victorino and Cochran — will face off in the General Election for the final vote.

In the County Council Molokai seat race, incumbent Stacy Helm Crivello won county-wide with 42.9 percent of the votes, over challengers Keani Rawlins-Fernandez with 32.5 percent and Cora Caparida-Schnackenberg with 3.8 percent. On Molokai, those percentages varied some, with Rawlins-Fernandez performing particularly well with Kilohana precinct election day voters, coming within one percent of Crivello. In most precincts, Caparida-Schnackenberg garnered between 10 and 15 percent of the votes.

In one of the more surprising results, current Mayor Alan Arakawa trailed newcomer candidate Natalie Kama in the Kahului County Council seat race 34.6 to 37.3 percent. 

This was the first year voters could register on the same day they cast their ballot, with the goal of boosting voter turnout. While initial numbers showed turnout was up from 2016, it wasn’t yet clear as of Sunday how much of that was from same-day registration.

The General Election is on Tuesday, Nov. 6. For more information and complete election results, visit elections.hawaii.gov.