LIHU‘E – House Rep. Ezra Kanoho, D-East and South Kaua‘i (15th District) defeated John Friedman, a Democrat, in Kaua‘i’s only contested party primary race during Saturday’s primary election. Kanoho lead Friedman by a margin of 2,652 to 568 votes with
LIHU‘E – House Rep. Ezra Kanoho, D-East and South Kaua‘i (15th District) defeated John Friedman, a Democrat, in Kaua‘i’s only contested party primary race during Saturday’s primary election.
Kanoho lead Friedman by a margin of 2,652 to 568 votes with nearly 40 percent of the vote tallied, accounting for 13,824 votes cast from all precincts.
With an overwhelming lead with only one voter tally readout remaining late last night, Kanoho appeared ready to take on Republican challenger John Hoff in the Nov. 2 General Election.
Kanoho, who has held his seat for 18 years, heads the Water, Land Use and Hawaiian Affairs Committee and is a member of three other powerful House committees.
Friedman formerly served as the head of the Hawaii State Parent Teacher Student Association, which numbered 33,000 members at one time.
Hoff, who was uncontested in last night’s primary election, has worked as a substitute teacher.
Hoff is on the verge of officially establishing the first bargaining unit in Hawai‘i for substitute teachers.
Hoff has said the state public school system has not worked, and will continue to fail if a major overhaul of the system isn’t done.
Hoff has spent 35 years building homes, and has managed a small business.
Because the Kaua‘i Senate race was also uncontested, incumbent Sen. Gary Hooser, a Democrat, and Maryanne Kusaka, a Republican, an ally to Gov. Linda Lingle and a former Kaua‘i mayor, won’t do battle until the general election.
House Rep. Hermina Morita, D-North Kaua‘i (14th House District), and House Rep. Bertha Kawakami, D-West Kaua’i-Ni‘ihau (16th House District) also were unopposed in Saturday’s race and earned a bye.
For the general election, Morita will be challenged by Republican candidate Mamo Cummings.
Morita has backed legislation to produce ethanol as a way to help save Gay & Robinson, Kaua‘i’s last sugar plantation. Morita also has pushed for the protection of the environment, and was the main backer behind the “bottle bill” in the Legislature that has become law.
The state law opens the way for people to receive a five-cent return deposit for glass, plastic and aluminum beverage containers.
Cummings headed the Kauai Chamber of Commerce for five years before recently stepping down from the post.
In the general election, Kawakami, a businesswoman and a retired educator, will battle Republican challenger JoAnne Georgi of Kalaheo.
Georgi is a vacation rental counselor and a volunteer interpreter at the National Tropical Botanical Garden.
Lester Chang, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) and lchang@pulitzer.net
