Pod Squad on Hawaii’s Historic Primary Night

On Saturday night Gov. Neil Abercrombie went down in a stunning defeat to state Sen. David Ige. So the Pod Squad got together Sunday afternoon to assess the fallout from the major races and to take a look at what lays ahead for the general election.

In light of last week’s podcast and the extensive coverage of Ige’s victory, the reporters focus on the U.S. Senate, Congressional District 1, and lieutenant governor campaigns.  The trio discuss Brian Schatz’s slight lead over Colleen Hanabusa, what’s likely to happen with the two Puna voting districts, and whether the loser could call for a recount.

They also look at how Mark Takai overcame Donna Mercado Kim’s initial lead, his chances in the fall, Shan Tsutsui’s huge margin of victory over Clayton Hee, and the impact of the hurricanes on the election.

“Somebody came up to me and said think about this,” said Blair. “Takai, Tsutsui, Ige, and maybe Hanabusa – Dan Inouye’s revenge. Four Japanese-Americans. Mind you the Hanabusa-Schatz race is not over, but is there something to that?”

“I don’t know if I would buy it,” replied Eagle. “I think it could be coincidence as much as anything.”

“Yeah, that’s a tough sell for me,” added Grube. “Now if Hanabusa does win then you can’t really ignore it because then you have Abercrombie and Schatz taking dives.”

Listen to the full podcast here or subscribe to it on iTunes or Stitcher.

• Mike Webb produces the Pod Squad for Civil Beat every week.

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