Whenever I visit Wikipedia, I tend to look at politics. Whenever I look at politics, I always seem to fixate myself on what particular state: Hawaii. Why? I can’t really say for sure, but I can definitely say what about Hawaiian politics is absolutely fascinating. To me, the combination of Hawaii’s political history, the strength of incumbents, Democratic domination, the state’s ideological leanings have resulted in what is one of the most politically interesting states in the nation.
Hawaii is made up of countless islands spanning 1,500 miles in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Before statehood, the Kingdom of Hawaii was an independent nation, until its monarchy was overthrown by European and American merchants and plantation owners in 1893. Hawaii then became a US territory in 1898, until it was admitted as a state in 1959.
The Royal Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
Because of its history and location, Hawaii has a very diverse population, split among Asian-American, white, Native Hawaiian, and other racial/ethnic groups. According to 2010 census data, Hawaii was the only state in which Asian Americans are the largest racial group. This has huge implications for the state’s politics, as minorities tend to vote for the Democratic Party in large numbers.
A comparison between the demographics of Hawaii and the US according to the Census Bureau 2013 American Community Survey. Courtesy Pew Research Center.
But also like many other states in the union at the time, while Hawaii was still a kingdom and territory, the white merchant/plantation class constantly sought to subjugate the other races, imposing segregation laws and limiting the abilities of non-whites to vote. As such, the Republican Party dominated in that era of late 1880s-1950s. But that all changed in the Democratic Revolution of 1954, when sugar plantation owners (largely of East Asian and Native Hawaiian descent) ousted the ruling planters and merchants and elected a Democratic majority into the state legislature. The Democrats have been in the majority ever since.
Because of this Democratic strength, incumbents have been constantly reelected for years on end. That also means that these congresspeople rose in the ranks to become very powerful legislators, whose work would influence everyone in the country. The late former Sen. Daniel Akaka (who served in Congress 1977-2013), was chair of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. And former Sen. Daniel Inouye, the second-longest serving senator in American history (serving in the Senate from 1963-2012), was chair of countless committees, including the ones on appropriations intelligence, in which he played an enormous role in the Watergate hearings that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. And from 2010 to 2012, he was President pro tempore of the US Senate, the highest ranking Asian American elected official in US history.
Sen. Daniel Inouye (1924 – 2012). Courtesy Encyclopedia Britannica.
Hawaii is incredibly Democratic-leaning. In the 2018 US Senate election, Sen. Mazie Hirono (D) defeated her opponent, Ron Curtis (R), 71.2% to 28.8%. In the 2016 US Presidential election, Hillary Clinton defeated Donald Trump 62.88% to 30.36%. As of 2019, in the Hawaii State House of Representatives, Democrats have a supermajority: 46-5 seats. In the State Senate, it’s 24-1. Basically, whoever wins the Democratic primary is tantamount to victory (hence the low turnout among every general election, since everyone knows who’s going to win anyway). It is the result of the state’s demographics, but don’t let these stats fool you: Hawaii isn’t necessarily a very progressive state.
The 2018 U.S. Senate Election, which was won by Sen. Mazie Hirono (D) 71.2-28.8%. Hirono won Oahu County (in the light blue) by 60-70%, while winning all the other counties by 70-80%. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
Yes, Hawaii isn’t very progressive-leaning despite its large preference for Democrats. This is mainly due to the large presence of military members and the fact that much of the population has been influenced by religion and are cautious, a trait continued by the legislature. However, like in many other parts of the country, younger Hawaiians vote more liberal than their older peers. Additionally, Hawaii doesn’t always elect Democrats. In 2002, Republican Linda Lingle won the governor’s race, and won reelection in 2006. But that, is the exception.
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a 2020 Democratic primary presidential candidate. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
The effect of the Hawaii Democratic Party’s dominance can be felt nationwide. from Sen. Inouye’s efforts to Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s 2020 presidential run, Hawaii has and will continue to have an influential role in modern American politics.
I have never thought much about Hawaii’s political influence past the fact that Obama grew up there. I had no clue how Hawaii’s political scene functioned. Often in deep blue states, you find the voters to be progressive such as California. It is interesting to see how in Hawaii this is not necessarily the case. I feel as if I know barely anything about Hawaii’s history. It seems to be not stressed at all in U.S. history. Even though they are a small state, they can make an impact in Congress and the Senate. I enjoyed the graphics, they made the statistics easier to understand and follow. I found the entire post extremely interesting. Your posts always teach me something new.
Hawaii really makes you think about the ethnic diversity of our nation and how that plays into our politics. I’ve personally been following Tulsi Gabbard in the 2020 race and I find her campaign very interesting and exciting and she goes to prove that even though she comes from a deep blue state she isn’t the most left leaning candidate in the field. It’s also fascinating how different the state politics can be just because of the geography of the state. It’s also so easy to forget about Hawaii because when you look at a map of the U.S. there’s the lower 48 and then Hawaii and Alaska in their own little boxes. Great read that shed light on the island state.
Hawaii is a heavily democrat state due to the prevalence of unions and the history behind them. I think that the case for the island is especially important to analyze because it varies significantly from the experiences of other states. For instance, when Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Ohio unions dominated the manufacturing industries, businesses simply moved to the south to avoid paying ridiculous wages and giving insane benefits. People in Hawaii could not leave so easily, so maybe that is why the politics remain so heavily Democrat. The creation of the rust belt made a large group of swing states because unions killed their industry, but republicans did nothing to try and keep the businesses there. Because there was no union-free alternative, the citizens of Hawaii had no union-free alternative, so businesses were forced to take the blows while a massive majority of workers swayed state elections.