Politics of Hawaii
Encyclopedia
History and Current Issues
This only covers the history of the politics of the State of HawaiiHawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. For information on the political history of the previous two forms of government, see Territory of Hawaii - Organic Act and Kingdom of Hawaii - Government.
County Governments
City and County of Honolulu- Peter CarlislePeter Carlisle
Peter Benson Carlisle is the current Mayor of Honolulu, Hawaii. He previously was the Prosecuting Attorney of Honolulu, from 1996 to 2010.-Life:...
County of Hawaii- William "Billy" Kenoi
County of Maui- Charmaine Tavares
Charmaine Tavares
Charmaine Tavares is an American politician and politician. Tavares has served as the Mayor of Maui since January 2007. She unsuccessfully sought a second four-year term in office in the 2010 Maui mayoral election.-Early life:...
County of Kauai- Bernard Carvalho
Bernard Carvalho
Bernard P. Carvalho, Jr. is an American politician and former football player, who has served as the Mayor of Kauai in the U.S. state of Hawaii since December 1, 2008. Carvalho was elected in November 2008 to complete the unexpired term of former Mayor Bryan J. Baptiste, who died in office in June...
Dominant Party System
Hawaii has runs on a Dominant party system, even misinterpreted as a Single-Party systemSingle-party state
A single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a type of party system government in which a single political party forms the government and no other parties are permitted to run candidates for election...
. Whereas the legislative majority tends to hold significantly more power than any minority power and the position of the government and the position of the ruling party
Ruling party
The ruling party or governing party in a parliamentary system is the political party or coalition of the majority in parliament. Within a parliamentary system, the majority in the legislature also controls the executive branch of government, thus leaving no possibility of dueling parties...
are closely aligned. This system was largely brought about by the 1887 Constitution
1887 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii
The 1887 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii was a legal document by anti-monarchists to strip the Hawaiian monarchy of much of its authority, initiating a transfer of power to American, European and native Hawaiian elites...
which was forced on King David Kalākaua by what is now known as the Hawaii Republican
Hawaii Republican Party
The Hawaii Republican Party is the state affiliate of the Republican Party of the United States. Based in Honolulu, the party is a central organization established for the promotion of the party platform as it is drafted in convention every other year...
at gun point. The constitution diminished the power of the monarchy and empowered the legislature.
Hawaiian nationalism
Hawaiian nationalismNationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
is focused on producing a national identity. Most Hawaiian nationalists have argued that the Hawaiian race and their descendants should govern the islands as a constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
. It is also important to note that Hawaiian nationalism is not limited to Native Hawaiians but have included other groups including Whites and Asians such as Walter M. Gibson
Walter M. Gibson
Walter Murray Gibson was an American adventurer and a government minister in the Kingdom of Hawaii prior to the kingdom's 1887 constitution.-Life:...
.
However, most citizens of Hawaii support continued membership in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and disregard separatist views.
Presidential elections
| Year | Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 United States presidential election, 2008 The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365... |
26.58% 120,446 | 71.85% 325,588 |
| 2004 | 45.26% 194,191 | 54.01% 231,708 |
| 2000 | 37.46% 137,845 | 55.79% 205,286 |
| 1996 | 31.64% 113,943 | 56.93% 205,012 |
| 1992 | 36.70% 136,822 | 48.09% 179,310 |
| 1988 | 44.75% 158,625 | 54.27% 192,364 |
| 1984 | 55.10% 185,050 | 43.82% 147,154 |
| 1980 | 42.90% 130,112 | 44.80% 135,879 |
| 1976 | 48.06% 140,003 | 50.59% 147,375 |
| 1972 | 62.48% 168,865 | 37.52% 101,409 |
| 1968 | 38.70% 91,425 | 59.83% 141,324 |
| 1964 | 21.24% 44,022 | 78.76% 163,249 |
| 1960 | 49.97% 92,295 | 50.03% 92,410 |
Hawaii is primarily dominated by the Democratic Party and has supported Democrats in 10 of the 12 presidential elections in which it has participated. In 2004, John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
won the state's 4 electoral votes by a margin of 9 percentage points with 54% of the vote. Every county in the state supported the Democratic candidate. In 2008, Hawaii native Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
also won here, by an overwhelming 45 point lead: 72% for the Democrat and 27% for Republican John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
. Hawaii is the only actual state that gave either candidate more than 70% of the vote.
See also : United States presidential election, 2004, in Hawaii
United States presidential election, 2004, in Hawaii
The 2004 United States presidential election in Hawaii took place on November 2, 2004 throughout all 50 states and the District of Columbia, which was part of the 2004 presidential election. Voters chose 4 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for President and Vice...
and United States presidential election in Hawaii, 2008
United States presidential election in Hawaii, 2008
The 2008 United States presidential election in Hawaii took place on November 4, 2008 throughout all 50 states and D.C., which was part of the 2008 United States presidential election...
See also
- Political party strength in HawaiiPolitical party strength in HawaiiThe following table indicates the party of elected officials in the U.S. state of Hawaii:*Governor*Lieutenant GovernorThe table also indicates the historical party composition in the:*State Senate*State House of Representatives...