Bloomberg Politics says, “There are a handful of close electoral races this fall that will determine which party controls the Senate and the size of the House’s Republican majority, setting the tone for the final two years of President Obama’s term.”

However, says Bloomberg, the race between U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz and his Republican challenger, Cam Cavasso, is not one of them.

Bloomberg calls the Schatz-Cavasso contest one of the seven “least competitive” races for the Senate this fall.

“Though Schatz faced a close Democratic primary against Representative Colleen Hanabusa — (Dan) Inouye’s choice for his successor — he’s expected to breeze in November,” the publication says. “According to the latest CBS/NYT/YouGov poll, Schatz has 71 percent support.”

A recent Civil Beat Poll has Schatz up by a closer, but still impressive margin: 62-to-25 percent, with 12 percent undecided.

The Bloomberg story references an interview with Cavasso by our Denby Fawcett (though, unfortunately, it says she works for Honolulu City Beat). Cavasso told Fawcett that he continues to run against the “far left progressive liberal” Schatz because “I have been called to run for the Senate by my family, my state and by my God.”

Meanwhile, Cavasso today once again demanded that Schatz debate him, a request that the incumbent continues to shrug off.

“I think Brian Schatz believes that if he hides himself away, doesn’t open himself up to scrutiny and doesn’t engage, he may win the Senate seat from a default position,” Cavasso said in a press release. “I believe his strategy may backfire on him as he is disrespecting the people of Hawaii.”

A Schatz campaign spokeswoman declined to comment.

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz in Puna on Aug. 15, when he finally won the primary.

PF Bentley/Civil Beat