Merriman River Group takes another look at the Aug. 11 Democratic primary for governor of Hawaii for Civil Beat, and they give Gov. David Ige a 43-34 lead over Rep. Colleen Hanabusa. Back in May, Merriman gave Hanabusa a 37-31 edge. Mason-Dixon also recently found a large swing towards Ige, with him going from a huge 47-27 deficit in March to a 44-40 lead in mid-July.
As we wrote a few weeks ago, it's very possible that voters are giving Ige credit for his handling of the ongoing Kilauea volcano eruption, which could also be helping him rebut Hanabusa's claims that he's a weak leader. The governor is also now out with a commercial staring Harry Kim, the mayor of Hawaii County, praising Ige for responding quickly and effectively to the crisis.