Polling in a three-way Hawaii special election indicates that the two Democrats in the race are splitting their party's vote to the benefit of the Republican candidate. (Photo Credit: Getty Images/File)
(CNN) – Borrowing a phrase from one-time presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, Hawaii Democratic congressional candidate Colleen Hanabusa says she's "in this race to win it."
Hawaii's state Senate president say she's not dropping out of a contest for former Rep. Neil Abercrombie's seat in Hawaii's 1st congressional district, telling reporters Wednesday that "I'm in the race until the end."
Along with former Rep. Ed Case, Hanabusa is one of two Democrats in the May 22 special election. In a contest for what should be a safe seat for Democrats, recent polls indicate the two Dems are splitting the vote, with the Republican candidate, Honolulu city councilman Charles Djou, in first place in the surveys. The special election is a winner takes all contest, with only a plurality needed for victory.
Hanabusa is in third place, according to the polls. But she disputes the surveys' findings and says they are wrong, according to local reports.
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Washington (CNN) - When it comes to where President Obama should build his presidential library, Hawaiian lawmakers have one word: Aloha.
It should come as no surprise that Hawaii – the birthplace of the 44th president – would enthusiastically "welcome" this proposition. So much so that Hawaii's House Tourism, Culture and International Affairs Committee approved a resolution Monday urging the president to choose the state as the home for his library. Even Republicans backed the measure, said committee clerk Elijah Davenport. Eventually, the full Hawaii House will vote on the resolution.
Among the next steps, Davenport said, are researching likely costs to build the library and find potential locations. "There's work to be done," he said.
According to an official proposal Davenport provided to CNN, Hawaii would reap multiple benefits if the president decided to build his library there. The state would see a "massive infusion of capital," the proposal says, and add a globally-recognized institution to its landscape.
Washington (CNN) – Rep. Neil Abercrombie says he'll step down from Congress on February 28 to focus on his run for Hawaii governor.
The announcement comes three weeks after the 11-term Democratic congressman said he would retire from his current job in order to enter his state's gubernatorial race.
Stepping down at the end of next month will "ensure that I will be able to fulfill the remaining duties requiring my presence in the House," Abercrombie said in a statement. "This work, most notably, involves providing my continuing support for legislation on health care and the Akaka Bill."
The Akaka Bill, formally known as the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2009, is named after the state's junior senator. It calls for a process for ethnic Hawaiians to essentially gain federal recognition as an Indian tribe.
Under state law, a special election for Abercrombie's seat can be held no sooner than 60 days after the vacancy. The Honolulu Advertiser reports that Scott Nago, the interim chief elections officer, told the state Senate Ways and Means Committee that his preference would be to hold an all-mail special election ,with some walk-in voting sites.
A bit of Hawaii hangs in the White House as the home's occupants celebrate their holiday surrounded by the real thing: The first family arrived in the Aloha State Christmas Eve. Their trip followed passage of the Senate' health care bill. (PHOTO CREDIT: White House)
CNN Chief National Correspondent John King spent some time atop a wind turbine in Hawaii for his latest American Dispatch report about alternative energy. (Photo Credit: CNN)
Related: Hawaii in early stages of energy evolution
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Washington (CNN) – Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, said Friday that he will formally announce his retirement from Congress this weekend so he can focus on his run for governor next year.
Abercrombie has scheduled a press conference for Sunday.
"I cannot claim the Governorship should be a cornerstone of our democracy and not make the campaign for it the center of all my efforts," Abercrombie said in a statement posted on his campaign Web site.
The 10-term congressman said he already shared his decision with the White House, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and other members of Hawaii's congressional delegation. Abercrombie's move will trigger a special election to fill the remainder of his term.
(CNN) - Voters in the latest battlegrounds for the Democratic presidential nomination faced very different treks to polls and caucuses Tuesday. Wisconsin voters braved single-digit temperatures and a windchill advisory while Hawaii caucus-goers expected to enjoy temperatures in the 80s.
Both groups will shape the course of the tight race between Democratic Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, while Wisconsin and Washington state voters could help Sen. John McCain finally knock his last major rival out of the Republican race.
Chelsea Clinton campaigns for her mother in Hawaii. (Photo Credit: Bethany Swain/CNN)
WAILUKU, Maui, Hawaii (CNN) - Chelsea Clinton greeted more than a hundred people Sunday afternoon in Wailuku, a city on the Hawaiian island of Maui. From the moment she arrived at the rally, attendees welcomed Clinton with leis and hugs.
A local cheerleading squad performed a routine they choreographed just for Clinton's visit to the island. After a group of local girls danced a hula, Clinton was invited to try the local tradition. After some encouragement from the crowd, a reluctant Clinton went to the very back of the stage and joined in, along with other local Democratic leaders. She was still wearing her dark high heels.
Later, the Stanford graduate thanked the crowd for its support of her mother's presidential campaign and encouraged them to particpate in Tuesday's caucus. She vowed to practice her hula skills before returning to Hawaii.
After the rally, the 28-year-old spoke with attendees and posed for pictures.
Related video: Aloha! Hawaii's in play.
–CNN Photojournalist Bethany Swain
From CNN Politics
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