LIHU‘E — Long-time Kaua‘i lawmaker Gary Hooser is seriously considering a run for Congress, he said Saturday in a statement posted on his Facebook page. “I can no longer merely watch from the sidelines as the ‘politics as usual’ in
LIHU‘E — Long-time Kaua‘i lawmaker Gary Hooser is seriously considering a run for Congress, he said Saturday in a statement posted on his Facebook page.
“I can no longer merely watch from the sidelines as the ‘politics as usual’ in Washington threatens the very fabric of our lives and the security of our democracy slips further and further every day,” he said.
Hooser is currently serving in Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s administration as the director of the Office of Environmental Quality Control. He left his seat as the state Senate majority leader to run for lieutenant governor last year, a race he lost to fellow Democrat Brian Schatz.
Troubled by the “financial debacle” unfolding in Washington and throughout the world, Hooser said it is clear that “Social Security, Medicare, education and the environment will soon be thrown beneath the bus under the guise of ‘fiscal responsibility.’”
He said the effort to get the nation’s “fiscal house in order” must be a balanced approach that includes an end to the Bush tax cuts for the top 5 percent, a dramatic reduction in corporate entitlements and an end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The 2nd Congressional District, which includes rural O‘ahu and the Neighbor Islands, is a path Hooser said many have encouraged him to explore.
Noting that the first absentee votes in the 2012 primary election will be cast in 12 months, Hooser said he will be unable to re-enter the political process without financial support.
If Hooser decides to run for Congress, he would face Honolulu City Councilwoman Tulsi Gabbard, who announced her intent to seek the Democratic nomination in May.
Visit garyhooser.wordpress.com for more information.
