In case folks missed in the comments to kos'
earlier post on this race, the Hawaii GOP just announced who will run against Sen. Akaka:
From the Star-Bulletin breaking news:
Hawaii's Republican Party has chosen state Rep. Cynthia Thielen to run against U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka in the Nov. 7 general election.
[...]
The Republicans were able to pick a candidate after Jerry Coffee won the GOP primary in the Senate race. Coffee, former Navy pilot and Vietnam prisoner of war, had withdrawn from the race over the summer because of a heart attack and heart surgery.
Continued from the
S-B piece:
Thielen, a 16-year legislative veteran who represents Windward Oahu, is known as a strong environmentalist who was endorsed by the Sierra Club this year. Thielen ran unopposed this year and was automatically re-elected, so she will not have to give up her House seat to run against Akaka.
And the Advertiser notes that:
Thielen is considered a moderate who could appeal to supporters of Akaka's Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep. Ed Case, who lost Saturday's primary.
FYI, Thielen has been a strong advocate for medical marijuana and the hemp industry. Her son Peter is a hemp activist.
Update 9/26
Thoughts on the subject from Hawaii political blogger Doug White at Poinography.com, including note of David Thielen's post here on this thread.
Here's an excerpt from today's fuller Advertiser article.
MODERATE VIEWS
Thielen has served 16 years in the state House and was re-elected on Saturday because she has no Democratic opposition in November. She will not have to give up her state House District 50 seat, which covers Kailua and Mokapu, to run for the U.S. Senate.
Thielen is a moderate known as an advocate for wave power and other renewable energy to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil, which she said is a national security issue because of terrorism. She was endorsed by the Sierra Club in her House race this year and said she would make the environment, including Akaka's support for oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, an issue in the campaign.
"I would never have voted the way that Senator Akaka voted, and I think that the voters will hold him responsible for it," she said.
Thielen was once an attorney for Protect Kaho'olawe Ohana and has been friendly to Hawaiian issues in the state House.
Thielen is in favor of abortion rights, which will disappoint social conservatives in her party, and is not enamored with President Bush. Asked by reporters to assess the president, Thielen answered that her favorite Republican president was Theodore Roosevelt. When pressed, she said Bush has had to lead the nation during a difficult time in its history.
QUESTIONS RUMSFELD
Thielen said she could not answer whether she would have voted for the war in Iraq since she did not have the same information Congress had at the time. Thielen said she abhors war and wants to bring U.S. troops home as soon as possible. Unlike Akaka, who wants a timetable for withdrawal, she said she would wait until Iraq has stabilized to avoid further chaos.
But she questioned Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's leadership and suggested that maybe change is necessary at the Pentagon.
And the
Star-Bulletin article.