Kawika Crowley knows he’s occupying the underdog slot in the November General Election.
Crowley, a Hilo native, is the GOP nominee for the 2nd Congressional District seat, running against Democrat Tulsi Gabbard. The race for the seat, vacated by Democrat Mazie Hirono in her pursuit of a U.S. Senate seat, is a bit like David and Goliath, he said. He’s the shepherd from the biblical tale, while Gabbard is a “gorgeous Goliath.”
But if voters pay attention to the differences between Crowley and Gabbard, he may come out ahead, he said.
“If you want to pay for steel on steel rail, if you believe in same sex marriage, if you believe in Obamacare, vote for Tulsi,” Crowley said, while sign waving on Queen Kaahumanu Highway Tuesday morning. “If you want an alternative to big, fat government spending, vote for me. I am against everything she stands for.”
Another big difference stands out between the two: Gabbard has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, from individuals and groups such as the Sierra Club, Votevets.org and Women Vote, while Crowley has about $1,200, some from his daughter, a little from a friend, $500 from the Hawaii Bar Owners Association. He has lobbied at the state Capitol on the latter organization’s behalf, he said.
All that money Gabbard has raised makes her “bought and paid for,” Crowley said. “There’s not a bone in my body that’s bought and paid for.”
He’s gotten a few local endorsements, including one that had him especially excited Tuesday morning, from mixed martial artist BJ Penn. Hilo businessman Frank DeLuz has also endorsed him, Crowley said.
So how does the underdog, with nominal funding, take on the better known, better funded candidate? Crowley said he’s walking the islands, including this week’s time spent on Hawaii Island. From Kona, he was headed to Waimea, then back to Oahu. He had trips planned for Kauai and Maui, as well. Oahu has seen a lot of him, he said.
His sign waving is solitary, his demeanor intentionally sober. Observers won’t catch him grinning and waving a shaka at passersby, unless someone else flashes one at him first, he said. He spends up to 10 hours a day out sign waving, he said, and it’s too hot and dangerous for people to join him.
Standing alone alongside the highway projects an image of a regular guy, he said.
“I think people would rather see me, an average Joe like themselves, in Congress,” he said.
Last month, he made waves by mentioning his living situation — he lives in his van, parked next to a police station in Kaneohe. Headlines described him as a “homeless handyman.”
“I’m not really homeless,” he said. “I’m just living out of my van temporarily until I can save some money.”
But his situation resonates with many of Hawaii’s working homeless, Crowley said. Many people he’s met, especially in Kona, have been receptive to his campaign message, he added.
“Congress is totally dysfunctional,” he said. “I’m sick of it. The American people are sick of it as well.”
The 2012 election “is America’s Waterloo,” he said. “If we don’t stop this and change this administration, I don’t know how we can save this country.”
