Usually, I have blog posts analyzing the latest election results.
I don't have much time to go over in detail like I did in the past, but here's a few thoughts!
1) Hawaii
Duke Aiona will probably be forever linked with Linda Lingle and Furlough Fridays (in which schools had cancelled classes on Fridays due to budget shortages). It was what doomed him in 2010 and it did so again this year. Campaign-wise, Aiona gave it his best shot, it's just not enough to overcome the stigma of being associated with Furlough Fridays.
-----------
The religious conservatives claimed that they will use this election to show the politicians they couldn't get away with passing same-sex marriage last December!
Well, they didn't get much results. At this point, same-sex marriage is the new normal. There's no turning back!
And no, the issue wasn't the reason why Neil Abercrombie lost the primaries back in August. Abercombie alienated senior citizens with taxing pensions, the teacher's unions with the contract that didn't mention how teachers will be evaluated, anti-development folks over Kakaako high-rises and just many people who were offended by his "I'm not your friend" response to a protester at a community meeting.
As for Mufi Hanneman, he has a loyal fan base that feels the Republicans are too fiscally conservative and the Democrats too culturally liberal. While it is good to have a candidate that contrasts with the two major parties, there just weren't enough supporters to win!
The next governor, David Ige will have a steep learning curve as he transitions from being a legislator to being an executive. No longer can he hide among the more vocal colleagues in the Legislature. All eyes (and ears) will be on him.
2) National
As usual, the "other party" takes over most of Congress right before the last 2 years of a President's final term in office.
Also, since this was a midterm election, there is lower turnout, especially among the millenials. This gave the Republicans to exploit Obama's perceived weakness on the economy, health policy and foreign policy The Ebola scare and ISIS also added to the perception of Obama's weakness!
However, the Republicans shouldn't act all giddy yet. Their cultural conservative viewpoints on same-sex marriage and marijuana has turned from a strength to a liability. They'll have to continue to distance themselves from the anti-immigration fanatics.
The battle within the Republicans will be about foreign policy. John McCain, Lindsey Graham et al wants a military response to any and all provocations. Rand Paul wants a less militaristic approach, which matches his father's famous anti-war positions plus a greater public skepticism towards military intervention. Only time will tell which side will win the heart of the Republican Party.
