Hawaiian history has never seen such an historic moment. Never before in Hawaiian politics has a Democrat incumbent governor been defeated.
Yet, this past Saturday, Senate Ways and Means Chair David Ige crushed current Gov. Neil Abercrombie in the gubernatorial primaries. With 143,835 votes, Ige secured 66 percent, while Abercrombie got just 67,368 votes, or 30.9 percent.
Abercrombie's defeated ended his 40-year political career.
Ige's victory marked several milestones.
It was the first time a democratic governor was ousted. This comes as a huge surprise and upset, because Ige was relatively unknown statewide and he was outspent 10-to-1 by Abercrombie. Ige raised $500,000 in comparison to Abercrombie's $5 million.
Abercrombie described his four years as governor "a singular honor," and pledged in an email to help Ige "with every ounce of energy I possess."
Ige announced to 400 of his supporters, “Together, we have made history. People told me I was crazy for giving up my seat in the state Senate, but I knew we needed change. They reminded me that no incumbent governor had ever lost a primary election. That changed tonight with a result no one could have expected, not even those performing real psychic readings.
“The voters of Hawaii have said loud and clear that it’s not money that wins elections. It’s about grassroots campaigning, meeting voters face-to-face and, above all, listening to what they have to say."
George Ariyoshi and Ben Cayetano, former Hawaii governors, both backed Ige, while former Gov. John Waihee and President Obama supported Abercrombie.
Traveling the Hawaiian Islands regularly and sharing nearly every meal with residents across the state, Ige ran a deep grassroots campaign over the past year.
Political analysts tried to make sense of Abercrombie's loss by understanding why he lost in popularity polls soon after his gubernatorial win in 2010.
State Senator Josh Green believes Abercrombie's loss was a result of losing touch with his constituents and reversing positions on key issues without explanation.
For instance, in 2010 several Abercrombie supporters voted for him because he was anti-development and pro-environment. However, soon after becoming governor, he became extremely pro-development.
The general election will pit Ige against two strong opponents: former Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona, Republican and formerly a judge, school teacher and coach; former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hanneman, Democrat serving as mayor for six years and currently running as an Independent. The fourth candidate, representing the Libertarian Party, is Jeff Davis, a radio personality also known as "the solar guy."