Colleen Hanabusa

U.S. House, HI-01

Democrat Neil Abercrombie is resigning from Congress to focus on his campaign for governor of Hawaii, leaving his Honolulu-based House district up for grabs in a special election that could come as soon as May. His decision dramatically changes the dynamics of this campaign, putting state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa, the only true progressive in the race, in the middle of a three-way, winner-take-all battle against Republican Honolulu City Councilman Charles Djou and Democrat Ed Case, a conservative former congressman who repeatedly sided with the GOP on key issues. Republicans, emboldened by recent victories, are pouring money into this race, and Djou is getting campaign advice from the same team that helped elect Scott Brown in Massachusetts. With two Democrats and only one Republican on the ballot, there’s a real danger that Hanabusa and Case could split the Democratic vote, giving Republicans control of this seat and bolstering their chances of taking back Congress in November. Hanabusa needs immediate support from EMILY’s List members to win this fast-track special election and keep this seat in Democratic hands.

A dedicated and courageous leader, Hanabusa has repeatedly taken on powerful special interests to protect the rights of working families, children, women, and native Hawaiians. Since being elected to the state Senate in 1998, she has fought for legislation to require insurance companies to cover birth control, guarantee access to emergency contraception for victims of sexual assault, protect the rights of workers to organize, and secure vital funding for schools to strengthen infrastructure and meet the needs of disabled students. Known for being outspoken and willing to challenge the status quo, Hanabusa has been called “a catalyst for action — unafraid to be heard and to shake things up when something needed to get done.” In 2006, she was named state Senate president; she is the first woman to head a legislative chamber in Hawaii (and the first Asian American woman in the nation).

A fourth-generation Hawaii resident whose great-grandparents emigrated to the island to work on a sugar farm in the 1880s, Hanabusa got involved in politics to fight for low-income communities like Waianae, where she grew up. After earning a B.A., an M.A., and a J.D. at the University of Hawaii, she was a labor lawyer for more than 30 years — one of the few women working in a traditionally male-dominated area of practice. Hanabusa was elected to the state Senate with support from EMILY’s List’s Political Opportunity Program. Widely viewed as a leader of uncompromising integrity and skill, she was named one of Hawaii’s “top ten power brokers” along with the state’s governor and two U.S. senators, by Hawaii Business magazine in 2003. In 2009, Hanabusa won the American Bar Association’s Spirit of Excellence award for her efforts to increase racial and ethnic diversity in the profession.

The Political Situation

Even before this became a special election, Abercrombie’s decision to run for governor had set off a pitched battle in a state with only two U.S. House seats. The contrast between the two Democrats in the race, Hanabusa and Case, couldn’t be starker. Case, who has been described as a “Democrat in name only,” voted in Congress to support the war in Iraq, extend the USA Patriot Act, and expand drilling in the Gulf Coast. He voted against using funds in the Ryan White AIDS Prevention Act to combat HIV, and voted with Republicans in 2005 to cut funding for family planning. Case, who once held the state’s second congressional district (now represented by Cong. Mazie Hirono, an EMILY’s List candidate), gave up his seat in 2006 to challenge Democratic Sen. Daniel Akaka, a highly respected progressive senator, in the primary. Notably, Case skipped nearly half of all House votes held during his last few months in Congress — most of them after failing in his bid to unseat Akaka. (Akaka and Hawaii’s other U.S. senator, Democrat Daniel Inouye, have both endorsed Hanabusa.) But Case is a proven fundraiser who brought in more than $1 million for his Senate campaign.

A rising star who has the full backing of the GOP establishment, Republican Djou is styling himself the next “Scott Brown” and hoping the GOP victory in the Massachusetts special Senate election will boost his candidacy. In truth, he is a doctrinaire conservative who would vote in lockstep with obstructionist Republican congressmen like House Minority Leader John Boehner and Minority Whip Eric Cantor. He is opposed to Democratic health care reforms and, on the city council, voted against funding for the police and fire departments, against environmental protections — even against money for sewers and other vital public services.

Hanabusa has earned the trust of progressive organizations and activists as a fighter for workers, civil justice, and women’s rights in Hawaii — and her background as a labor lawyer will help her draw grassroots support from unions and workers. But she faces a Republican who has the full backing of the national party apparatus, a Democrat who has a statewide network of fundraising contacts from past elections, and a very short timeline for this special election. She must raise $2 million immediately to take her progressive leadership to Congress and keep this seat in Democratic hands.

The Issues

“America under the Bush administration was not the America I grew up believing in,” says Hanabusa. “The Bush administration led us down the wrong path for eight years, leaving a legacy of two unpopular and costly wars, soaring budget deficits, and an economic crisis that will probably be the worst of this century. While President Obama and the Democratic-led Congress are putting us back on the right course, Hawaii and America need elected representatives who will keep their ‘eye on the prize’ and not be swayed by quick fixes, easy ways out, or other band-aid approaches to our society’s problems.”

A strong defender of public education, Hanabusa has fought to ensure that children with special needs get the attention they require; that all students have a safe, comfortable learning environment; and that schools provide institutional support to preserve native language and culture. She served on the Gender Equity Commission and supports extending Title IX, now known as the Patsy T. Mink Act, to promote gender equity in public schools. “I think we need to take a good hard look at the No Child Left Behind Act to see if it’s actually doing what was intended,” says Hanabusa, who supports amending the law so that states have more flexibility to comply with federal standards without losing federal funding.

Hawaii’s culture prizes multi-generational families, so child care is often provided by family elders. “The federal government, especially in these tough economic times, should adopt policies that make it easier on the working families of our nation,” she says. This includes tax breaks for parents to stay home with young children, and incentives for building and operating day care facilities and to encourage companies to adopt family-friendly policies.

Hanabusa supports free trade, as long as it is fair trade. “As a longtime labor attorney who has always stood up for the worker, I cannot support policies that allow corporations to do business with countries where child labor laws or health and safety standards are not enforced,” she says. The federal government should promote economic initiatives that restore American confidence, she believes. “Congress needs to reassure the citizenry that the economy is on the mend, whether by increasing expenditures on services and construction, by providing low- to no-cost operational and micro loans to small businesses, or through other stimulus programs,” she says. Education, alternative energy development, and health sciences should be priorities in the federal budget, Hanabusa believes. She supports a progressive tax code that includes targeted incentives to promote growth in key sectors.

Defense spending should focus on the needs of troops fighting on the front lines, says Hanabusa, whose foreign policy priorities include easing dependence on foreign oil and developing a comprehensive energy policy; addressing the global debt crisis; dealing with rogue nations and terrorism; and better preparing the U.S. and other nations for natural disasters.

Much of the crime problem can be traced back to drugs, says Hanabusa, who supports more vigorous prosecution and sentencing for drug dealers, and treatment and prevention programs for users. She also favors neighborhood-based “weed and seed” programs to deter crime and promote a higher quality of life, and more support for community policing.

Solving the nation’s health insurance crisis will require all stakeholders — doctors, insurers, hospitals, even patients — to work together, Hanabusa says. “We need to be innovative and collaborative, rather than stagnant and protectionist,” she says, promising that, “if elected, I will dedicate myself to finding these solutions to these problems in a manner that is fair, equitable, and beneficial to as many persons as possible.”

Congress can play a major role in protecting the environment and expanding the economy, Hanabusa argues, by establishing clear alternative energy objectives and timetables, and by instituting tougher penalties for environmental crimes. In Hawaii, federal support for cellulosic ethanol production could foster high-tech development across the state — boosting the economy, diverting tons of waste from landfills, preserving green space, and reducing dependence on fossil fuel.

In the Hawaii Senate, Hanabusa has fought to expand access to family planning services and protect choice. She will be a steadfast advocate in the U.S. Congress for reproductive freedom.

March 2010