The special election for the Hawai‘i District One seat in the US House of Representatives is being conducted as a 100% mail-in absentee vote. The ballots were sent to all registered voters in the Congressional district that encompasses the “Town” side of the Ko‘olau on O‘ahu from Makapu‘u to ‘Ewa and mauka to Mililani (the rest of the state is District Two). The electorate has until this Saturday afternoon — 22^nd May — to cast their votes; all ballots must be received by six o’clock to be valid. The winner-takes-all results will be announced shortly thereafter that evening.

The three major candidates for HI-01 are Ed Case [D], Charles Djou [R] and Colleen Hanabusa [D].

Charles Djou [R] has won the special election in urban 1^st Congressional District for Hawai‘i, the first Republican sent to Washington to represent the Islands in two decades. At posting time, Djou leads with 39.5% of the vote, followed by Colleen Hanabusa [D] at 30.8% with 27.6% for Ed Case [D]. There were 11 minor candidates who garnered the rest of the vote.

The now-former Honolulu city councilman will serve the remaining months of former congressman Neil Abercrombie’s term in Congress, which ends in January 2011. Abercrombie irresponsibly resigned in February to pursue the Democrat nomination for governor, costing the state?s taxpayers over $1M to conduct the special election.

Abeardedcrumb doing what he does best: mindless ranting.

Djou is the first Republican from Hawai‘i sent to Congress in 20 years and only the third since statehood. Moreover, the voters of one of the most solid Democrat blocs have sent yet another slap on the face to “President BlameBUSH:” This is the congressional district — constituting urban Honolulu — representing Barry’s birthplace.

Not learning from the Endorser-in-Chief’s grievous record with Jon Corzine, Creigh Deeds, Martha Coakley and Arlen Specter, both Case and Hanabusa gleefully touted their blind-loyalty to the “Hawaiian-born” president to the dismay of the electorate. Granted, just over 69% of the HI-01 district’s votes went to the hometown favourite in the November 2008 election but those were his Hope-and-Change days.

BHO gave a TKO to the campaigns of Corzine (NJ), Deeds (VA), Coakley (MA) and Specter (PA).

Both Democrat candidates — neither of whom lives in the district — concentrated on campaign adverts with weak substance, snarky remarks towards their Republican counterpart as well as each other, and tying themselves to Oval Office. Hanabusa all but genuflected at the alter in her appeal to woo the drone vote; but once Barack Hussein Obama II sent word via the DCCC to support Case, Ed disparately clung to those threaded coattails all the while his poll numbers plummet. Djou on the other hand was laser-focused with his positive message and attractive platform of lower taxes, leaner government, fiscal responsibility and congressional accountability.

With 171,417 votes cast — 54% of the eligible electorate — Charles Djou comfortably won the seat. Interestingly, the second-place finisher was not Ed Case, as predicted by every public poll over the past few months; rather Colleen Hanabusa — whose chances were discounted by the Case campaign and its DC allies in the Democяαт National Committee — received the silver and handed the dejected Barry-picked favourite the bronze.

Rep. Pat Saiki [R], HI-01 1987-91; Sen. Dan Inouye [D], 1963-; Mayor Mufi Hannemann [D], Honolulu 2005-.

An election for a full Congressional term will be held this November. In that race, Charles Djou will face the winner of the September Democяαт Primary. Party strategists at the national headquarters are demanding their voters unite lock-step behind the Democяαт nominee but many local observers doubt the theory will work this time. Instead, they point to the outcome of the 1986 First District Congressional election in which Republican Pat Saiki swept into office after a bruising Democяαт Primary in-fight between Neil Abercrombie and Mufi Hannemann. The rivalry between the Obama-anointed Ed Case and Dan Inouye’s Clintonistas’ endorsed Colleen Hanabusa is every bit as intense as 1986; and the effect will be magnified if Abercrombie and Hannemann face each other in the Democяαт Gubernatorial Primary race, also in September.

Former Rep. Ed Case, in an unexpected political move over the Memorial Day week-end, has withdrawn from the race for the First Congressional District for Hawai‘i. Case said, “My heart tells me to stay in this fight but my head says this has become the wrong fight.”

It was assumed that Case — the personal selection of Barack Hussein Obama II — would vie for the Congressional seat against Hawai‘i State Senate President Colleen Hanabusa in this autumn’s primary election. The victor would then face Representative Charles Djou [R-HI/01] in the November general election.

One Big Ass Mistake America

Case obviously recognises he was the latest in a string of зviƨƨзяgoяq candidates to receive the Kiss of Death endorsement from The ☭вαмαssiah when Hanabusa placed a surprising second over Case in last month’s special election.

Ed Case did not disclose his future political plans but indicated that he would continue in public office — perhaps in a non-paying advisory position à la Joe Sestak. Was “Bubba” on Island?