Updates to our Terms of Use

We are updating our Terms of Use. Please carefully review the updated Terms before proceeding to our website.

Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Hawaii Dems Sue Politician Running|as Both Democrat & Republican

HONOLULU (CN) — The Democratic Party of Hawaii has sued a politician running as a both a Democrat and a Republican in separate congressional races.

Angela Aulani Kaaihue, who won the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent Tulsi Gabbard for the 2nd Congressional District seat, has since filed to run as a Democrat in a special election to replace Rep. Mark Takai, who died in July.

Kaaihue recently ran afoul of Republican Party leadership over racially charged comments, including her assertion that Gabbard, a Hindu, and former Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, a Buddhist, "worship the Devil."

GOP chair Chris Rohfling urged party members to disavow Kaaihue.

"Her vulgar, racially bigoted, and religiously intolerant descriptions of Democratic Party candidates are offensive, shameful, and unacceptable in public discourse," Rohfling said.

The Texas-born Kaaihue retorted on Facebook that the chair should be careful attacking the "messenger of God."

Fallen from grace within her party and outpolled many times over by Gabbard in the primaries, Kaaihue seized on the special election as a chance to position herself within the dominant party, even if it meant going over to the Japanese Buddhist "conspiracy."

An Aug. 27 press release on the Kaaihue4congress.com website states, "This will leave the Republican party in awe-wonder, dumbfounded and chasing the rainbow after they bashed and failed to support Angela Kaaihue's stance against the Japanese Buddhists despite the fact that she claims they are conspirators, extortionist, thieves, liars and that they stick together and dominate Hawaii's government, political economics, and social welfare."

Kaaihue continues, "This is my only chance that we have, is to take on District 1 as a Democrat. This wonderful opportunity came up and I decided to go for it. I truly love Hawaii, I love everyone, and to say that I'm a loyal Democrat or Republican would be a lie. Their values and platforms are very much intermingled, kind of like a love affair."

Ten candidates are vying Takai's seat in the special election to be held in November including Hanabusa, Republican Shirlene Ostrov and Libertarian Alan Yim.

The Democratic Party has asked the court to rule that Kaaihue is not a Democrat, arguing that she was expelled after her Republican nomination. The party asks to court to either affirm the Office of Election's duty to rule in the matter or block Kaaihue's candidacy.

Chief Election Officer Scott Nago, who refused to intervene, is also named in the suit.

T. Anthony Gill of the firm Gill, Zukeran & Sgan represents the Democratic Party.

The parties did not respond to requests for comment by press time.

Categories / Uncategorized

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Loading...