Correction: This article has been updated to reflect that incumbents Cindy Evans in House District 7 and Nicole Lowen in House District 6 won their primary elections Saturday night, not the House seats. It is the policy of the West Hawaii Today to correct any incorrect information promptly.
KAILUA-KONA — Seven-term incumbent Cindy Evans won the Democratic primary for the District 7 seat in the House of Representatives by a narrow margin over opponent David Tarnas in one of the closest races across the entire state.
Evans, who has represented North Kona, South Kohala and North Kohala since 2002, eked out a victory over Tarnas with 52 percent of the vote to her opponent’s 48 percent. The final margin was only 176 votes, as Evans received 2,204 votes while Tarnas picked up 2,020 votes.
This campaign cycle played out in stark contrast to Evans’ previous two bids for the statehouse, in which she ran unopposed in the primary. When she received the news she’d won, the relief was evident in her voice.
“It’s been a long, long campaign. I’m very happy, because I’m in the middle of a lot of things that I’m pushing for the district,” Evans said. “This has been a really good campaign with a lot of discourse. When you have an opponent in the primary, it creates a lot of dialogue with people in the district about what’s important to them.”
Tarnas, who served in the statehouse from 1994-1998 and more recently chaired Hawaii County’s Democratic Party from 2013-2015, told the West Hawaii Today last week that he’d been campaigning for a full year.
His efforts paid dividends as he nearly upended one of the most tenured members of the House. Tarnas invoked a sense of mission Saturday night, saying he’s ready to keep campaigning and has no plans to lay aside his political ambitions.
“This has been a wonderful campaign, and I’m more determined than ever to get back into the (House) and serve,” Tarnas said. “I’m planning to run again in 2018. We were really close to unseating a 14-year incumbent, and it was great preparation for the next election. I’m looking forward to serving again, even though it’ll be a little later than I’d hoped.”
Both Tarnas and Evans expressed appreciation for the tenacity of the other, praising the competitive race for raising the discourse among the Democratic electorate.
Republican Jeffrey Coakley ran unopposed in his primary.
District 6
Two-term incumbent Nicole Lowen jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, winning her third Democratic nomination in a landslide victory. Lowen had received 2,548 or 3,059 votes cast, or 83 percent, as of the third readout.
But Lowen was quick to point out the general election is still ahead.
“I never take anything for granted. I want (voters) to know I’m still working for them and still want to hear from them,” Lowen said. “I’m glad the good work I’ve done has been recognized. I’m looking forward to getting past the elections and back to the issues.”
Bronsten Kossow, 22-year-old Palamanui student, had received 383 votes as of the third read out, or roughly 12.5 percent of votes cast. He said although his bid for office fell short this year, his first ever campaign was rewarding and will serve him in the future.
“The great thing is we have many more opportunities to run,” Kossow said Saturday. “It was a great experience to go out into the community and meet all different kinds of people. I wish the best for Ms. Lowen.”
Veteran Thomas Mann, the third candidate on the Democratic primary ballot, had picked up roughly 4.2 percent of counted votes, with 128 votes.
Republican Bruce Pratt ran unopposed.
District 5
Incumbent Richard Creagan ran unopposed on the Democratic ticket. Michael Last ran unopposed as a libertarian. The two will meet in the general election on Nov. 8.