AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Hawaii’s state primaries

WASHINGTON (AP) — Voting concludes Saturday in Hawaii’s state primaries, where candidates for Congress and the Legislature will compete for their parties’ nominations.

Hawaii’s primaries for Senate and House should set the stage for much-needed safe wins for Democrats in November as the party faces tough contests across the country in its bid to control both chambers heading into the next presidential administration.

At the top of the ballot is the Senate race, where Democrat Mazie Hirono seeks a third term. She is expected to easily win the primary against retired computer engineer Ron Curtis and salesman Clyde Lewman. Curtis was the Republican nominee against Hirono in 2018 and against Democratic Rep. Ed Case in 2020, receiving 29% and 28% of the general election vote, respectively. Lewman ran for governor in 2022, placing last in the Democratic primary with 0.1% of the vote. Hirono had $2.3 million in her campaign treasury as of mid-July, while neither challenger has filed a campaign finance report with the Federal Election Commission, as required.

The Republican nominee will be the winner of a six-way primary. Army veteran and community officeholder Adriel Lam and former state Rep. Bob McDermott are the only candidates who reported raising any money for the race, although both trail Hirono significantly. Lam had just shy of $4,400 in the bank as of mid-July, while McDermott reported cash reserves of less than $10. McDermott ran for the Senate in 2022, receiving 26% of the vote against Democratic incumbent Brian Schatz.

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