HONOLULU — In heavily Democratic Hawaii, Republican candidates often face an uphill battle in elections. But Republican Charles Djou, who is running for a seat in the U.S. Congress, said his political affiliation could be an asset for the state.
Djou is positioning himself as a centrist who can build bridges between parties in Washington and give Hawaii a voice in the Republican House majority.
Heading into midterm elections where Republicans are preparing to fight for a majority in the U.S. Senate, Djou said in an interview he thinks the time is right to send more than just Democrats to Washington.
“If you have a congressional delegation that only speaks to one side, you’re missing out,” he said.
Djou represented Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District for seven months from 2010 to 2011 after he won a three-way special election. But he lost his seat to Democratic Rep. Colleen Hanabusa in the 2010 election, and he was defeated by her again when he ran in 2012.
“I guess I’m a glutton for punishment that I’m doing this again,” Djou said.
In the November election, Djou could face one of at least eight Democrats who are registered to run in the race. But his opponents don’t think he owns the market on being able to reach across the aisle.
“Obviously, he does have name recognition and some very limited experience. But whether the voters will see something they haven’t seen before is really to be decided,” said state Sen. Will Espero, the majority floor leader, who also is running for the seat. “You can’t get anything done without respectful open discussion, and we do need that. I believe that’s one of my strengths in terms of being able to talk to people with different points of view.”
Even if voters accept that having a Republican in Congress could be beneficial, it’s a tough road for any Republican to win a seat in Hawaii’s first Congressional District, political analysts said.
“It isn’t that people reject that idea as stupid,” said Neal Milner, a retired University of Hawaii political science professor. “It’s just that when push comes to shove, a Republican like Djou has a long way to go to make enough people see that idea as powerful enough to make them change parties.”
Djou said he laments the dearth of moderates in Washington and Congress needs more centrists like him. He decided to run for Congress again after he learned that a group of soldiers died last fall in Afghanistan, but their families were not given death benefits and their bodies weren’t brought home because of the government shutdown, he said.
“That was a profound wake up call to me that the government has descended to such a level of dysfunction,” Djou said.
Democratic opponent Kathryn Xian said Congress needs more progressives — not Republicans — to reverse U.S. Supreme Court rulings such as the one in the Citizens United case. That ruling lifted restrictions on independent campaign spending by corporations and unions. Honolulu City Councilman Stanley Chang, another Democratic opponent, said Hawaii has been on the cutting edge of progressive causes like same-sex marriage and universal health care.
“That’s the kind of leadership that Hawaii deserves from our congressional delegation,” Chang said.
The argument that Hawaii could benefit from sending a Republican to Washington is not new. Former Republican Gov. Linda Lingle, who is now honorary campaign chairwoman for Djou, championed the idea in her unsuccessful 2012 run against Sen. Mazie Hirono for the seat Hirono now holds. In the past, Hawaii’s Democratic delegation has struggled to win support for bills, including the late Sen. Daniel Akaka’s push for federal recognition of Native Hawaiians, Lingle said.
“There needs to be balance in government,” Lingle said. “If you have all one party or all the other party, who is watching out for the public? And the answer is too often no one.”
“I don’t think it will be on the top of voters’ minds in Hawaii,” said Carlos Juarez, chairman of the Department of Social Sciences at Hawaii Pacific University. “It’s going to be about who’s going to bring home the bacon.”
Or it could just come down to the state’s long history as a heavily blue state.
“I think Hawaii needs to continue having a Democrat in that seat,” said state Rep. Mark Takai, who also is vying for the seat. “I just think that what the Democrats stand for is closer in line to what the overall state population believes.”