Ige defeats Hanabusa; Ron Curtis wins Hawaii GOP nod for US Senate

HONOLULU — The Latest on the primary election (all times local):

10:56 p.m.

Ron Curtis will face off against incumbent Sen. Mazie Hirono in the general election as the Republican Party’s nominee to represent Hawaii in the U.S. Senate.

Curtis emerged as the top vote-getter from a field of eight Republican candidates in Saturday’s primary election. Hirono ran unopposed in the Democratic Party primary.

Hirono was first elected to the Senate in 2012. She’s the country’s first Asian-American female senator.

Curtis faces an uphill battle. The winner of the Democratic primary is almost guaranteed to win in the general election in Hawaii.

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10:27 p.m.

Hawaii Gov. David Ige has won the Democratic primary in his bid for a second term in office, defeating U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, who gave up her seat in Congress to run for governor.

He’ll face state Rep. Andria Tupola, who won the Republican primary for governor

Ige had a challenging first term amid a series of natural and man-made disasters, including a false missile alert that sent the state into a panic in January, a major embarrassment for his administration.

But the governor’s handling of Kilauea volcano’s latest eruption, which destroyed more than 700 homes and displaced thousands, as well as devastating flooding on Kauai improved his stature.

Ige also touted his efforts on affordable housing and homelessness.

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9:50 p.m.

Former Congressman Ed Case says he believes his message that politicians in Washington need to work together resonated with voters.

Case says voters want Washington to work again.

Case spoke Saturday after he was declared the winner of the Democratic Party primary election for Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District.

The 65-year-old says it’s humbling to know that he gained the trust and confidence of so many voters.

He says he will reach out to those who didn’t vote for him and ask them for their support in the general election.

Case emerged the winner from a crowded field that included Lt. Gov. Doug Chin, who is the architect of Hawaii’s legal battle against President Donald Trump’s travel ban.

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9:42 p.m.

Hawaii state Rep. Andria Tupola has won the Republican primary for governor, defeating former state Sen. John Carrol and former Pearl Harbor nonprofit CEO Ray L’Heureux for the nomination.

Tupola is the House minority leader and one of only five Republicans on the 51-member body.

Tupola says one of her primary focuses as governor would be to address affordable housing and to fight for Native Hawaiians to get the opportunity to use land set aside for them decades ago. She also says the state needs to restructure its tax code to give low-income workers more of a break.

Tupola is a music teacher who formerly taught at a local community college. She was first elected to the state legislature in 2014.

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9:15 p.m.

Former Congressman Ed Case has emerged from a crowded field to win the Democratic Party primary to represent Honolulu in Congress.

The 65-year-old fiscal conservative on Saturday defeated five other major candidates including Lt. Gov. Doug Chin, who is the architect of Hawaii’s legal battle against President Donald Trump’s travel ban.

The winner of the Democratic primary is almost guaranteed to win in the general election in Hawaii.

Another contender was 29-year-old Kaniela Ing, a democratic socialist who hoped to follow in the footsteps of colleague Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York to score an upset victory.

Case served in Congress from 2002 to 2007, giving him an edge in experience and name recognition.

He’ll face Cam Cavasso, a former state representative who previously ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate. Cavasso won the GOP primary Saturday night.

———XXX will face off against incumbent Sen. Mazie Hirono in the general election as the Republican Party’s nominee to represent Hawaii in the U.S. Senate.

XXX emerged as the top vote-getter from a field of eight Republican candidates in Saturday’s primary election. Hirono ran unopposed in the Democratic Party primary.

Hirono was first elected to the Senate in 2012. She’s the country’s first Asian-American female senator.

XXX faces an uphill battle. The winner of the Democratic primary is almost guaranteed to win in the general election in Hawaii.

7:38 p.m.

U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard won the Democratic nomination for Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District.

Gabbard defeated Sherry Alu Campagna on Saturday to be her party’s candidate to represent rural Oahu and the neighbor islands in Congress.

Campagna had criticized Gabbard for refusing to debate her. Campagna noted Gabbard had argued in the past that candidates should participate in debates to present their positions and be held accountable for their opinions.

Gabbard was first elected to the U.S. House in 2012. She is one of the first female combat veterans to serve in Congress. She deployed to Iraq and Kuwait with the Hawaii National Guard.

Gabbard faces singer Brian Evans of Maui in the general election in November. He ran unopposed for the Republican Party’s nomination.

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7:15 p.m.

Early results from Hawaii’s primary election have Gov. David Ige holding back U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa in the race to keep his job.

On the Republican side, state Rep. Andria Tupola is leading former state Sen. John Carroll.

The first results after the polls closed Saturday put former U.S. Rep. Ed Case ahead of Lt. Gov. Doug Chin in the race to represent Honolulu in Congress.

In Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has a big lead over challenger Sherry Alu Campagna.

The winners of most of the Democratic Party’s primary races will be the favorites to win the general election in November.

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6 p.m.

Polls have closed in Hawaii, where the state’s primary election is being held.

Polls closed at 6 p.m. local time, and state election officials expected the first batch of results to be released shortly after.

There are two high-profile races in the primary, which essentially serves as the general election since the state is heavily Democratic. Republicans didn’t field candidates in some races.

Gov. David Ige is being challenged by U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa in one top race.

Another high profile race is the battle for the seat that Hanabusa is giving up.

Former U.S. Rep. Ed Case is seeking a return to Washington, and is being challenged by Lt. Gov. Doug Chin, who led the legal fight against President Donald Trump’s second travel ban, and Kaniela Ing.

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5:10 p.m.

Jinjer Boots, 26, a Democrat from Honolulu, voted for U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa for governor Saturday in Hawaii’s primary election.

Boots was at the polls with her 3-year-old daughter.

Boots says Hanabusa is fighting for women’s rights and that was a major factor for her.

Hanabusa is challenging first-term Gov. David Ig in the Democratic primary.

Some in Hawaii have been critical of Ige’s response to a false missile alert that sent the state into a panic in January, a major embarrassment for his administration.

Boots says she was terrified by January’s false missile alert.

The most hotly contested matches in this deep blue Hawaii are for governor and the state’s 1st Congressional District.

The winners of most of the Democratic Party’s primary races in Hawaii will be the favorites to win the general election in November.

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4:14 p.m.

Daryl Chang, a Republican who works in the medical field in Honolulu, voted for a Democrat in Saturday’s gubernatorial primary.

He says he voted for Gov. David Ige and thinks he’s thoughtful.

Chang and many others in Hawaii participated in the state’s primary elections.

Some in Hawaii have been critical of Ige’s response to a false missile alert that sent the state into a panic in January, a major embarrassment for his administration.

But Chang says he doesn’t see the governor as being ultimately responsible.

Sixty-four-year-old Chang says he has lived in Hawaii almost his entire life, only leaving to attend college for four years.

U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa is challenging Ige in the gubernatorial primary.

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6:20 a.m. Saturday

Kaniela Ing, a candidate for Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District seat, was hoping for a last-minute surge before the election and got help from a rising star in the Democratic party, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who campaigned for him in Honolulu on Thursday.

Ocasio-Cortez, a Democratic Socialist, said she was down 35 points in the polls before upsetting a 10-term incumbent in the New York primary. “And we changed that in two weeks because we were talking to people who hadn’t been excited about the political process before,” she told Hawaii News Now.

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8:09 p.m. Friday

The winners of most of the Democratic Party’s primary races in Hawaii this weekend will be the favorites to win the general election in November.

The most hotly contested matches in this deep blue state on Saturday are for governor and the state’s 1st Congressional District.

U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa is challenging one-term incumbent Gov. David Ige in the gubernatorial primary. The move has echoes of four years ago when Ige, then a state senator, challenged and defeated a sitting governor, Gov. Neil Abercrombie in the primary.

Both Hanabusa and Ige are experienced, long-time politicians in Hawaii, leading to a close race.

Three Republicans, including House Minority Leader state Rep. Andria Tupola, are vying for the Republican nomination. Former Pearl Harbor nonprofit CEO Ray L’Heureux and former state senator John Carroll are the other two.

Six major figures from the Democratic Party are competing to succeed Hanabusa in Washington.

The diverse list includes a 65-year-old fiscally conservative Democrat and a 29-year-old democratic socialist who advocates giving all Americans Medicare and making college tuition free. Two of the others gained notoriety by opposing President Donald Trump.