The country’s only contested Democratic Senate primary is finally over, ending a caustic struggle that split a party otherwise marked by national unity.
Rep. Colleen Hanabusa announced late Tuesday night that she will not contest the results of the election, which had been bookended by two hurricanes and haunted by the ghost of the man who used to occupy the seat being fought over.
Election Day was 11 days ago, but because of storm damage, balloting was delayed until Friday in two precincts. Hanabusa, trailing appointed incumbent Sen. Brian Schatz by fewer than 1,700 votes, protested the make-up voting plan and filed a lawsuit to delay the polling. But a judge allowed the plan to proceed, and Schatz emerged with an lead of 1,769 votes.
After weighing her options, Hanabusa said Tuesday that she will let the vote stand — in court, at least. After thanking her staff and volunteers for their hard work, the congresswoman acknowledged that she’s not happy with the results.
“Though I will not be challenging the results of this election, I remain very concerned about the public’s confidence and trust in our election process. I ask former colleagues and friends in the Hawaii State Legislature to explore what is necessary to ensure the people that their vote truly counts. I heard from many who feel strongly that they were disenfranchised from the voting process this election, and I stand ready to support any collaborative effort to have those voices heard,” she said in a statement.









