Democrat
Mazie Hirono, who had represented the 2nd district since 2007, announced in May 2011 that she would run for the U.S. Senate rather than for re-election to the House.
Democratic primary Candidates Nominee •
Tulsi Gabbard,
Honolulu City Councilmember
Eliminated in primary • Rafael "Del" del Castillo, attorney and patients' rights advocate •
Mufi Hannemann, former
mayor of Honolulu • Esther Kia'aina, chief advocate for the
Office of Hawaiian Affairs • Bob Marx, attorney
Declined •
Tammy Duckworth, assistant secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs in the
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and unsuccessful candidate for the House of Representatives in Illinois in
2006 •
Josh Green,
state senator Campaign Hannemann and Gabbard differed on the issue of same-sex marriage. Gabbard was opposed to the
Defense of Marriage Act and to a proposed Hawaii state constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a woman and a man, while Hannemann supported DOMA. Gabbard had previously opposed same-sex marriage, but during the primary campaign, promised to work to repeal DOMA and co-sponsor the Respect for Marriage act. Voters initially doubted the sincerity of her new views on the issue. Gabbard filed a 270-page complaint against Hannemann's spending, saying that his campaign broke campaign finance laws by failing to report 2012 travel and polling expenses and improperly dealt with Hanneman's salary from a tourism association. Candidates Marx, Gabbard, and Kia'aina debated on June 5, and Marx, Gabbard, Kia'aina and Hannemann debated in early July. as of August 6, she was leading against Hanneman 49% to 29%.
Endorsements Gabbard received endorsements from the
Sierra Club,
Emily's List,
VoteVets and MauiTime.
Primary results On August 11, Gabbard defeated Hanneman by twenty points. The
Honolulu Star-Advertiser described her win as the "improbable rise from a distant underdog to victory". Gabbard credited grassroots support as the reason for her come-from-behind win in the primary.
Aftermath Gabbard decided to resign her seat on the City Council, stating that she wanted to prevent the cost of a separate special election, and resigned on August 16.
Republican primary Candidates Nominee •
Kawika Crowley, handyman
Eliminated in primary • Matthew DiGeronimo, entrepreneur, motivational and business speaker, radio talk show host and former
Navy officer
Declined •
Duke Aiona, former
lieutenant governor of Hawaii • Jonah Kaauwai, former chairman of the
Hawaii Republican Party Primary results General election Endorsements Predictions Results ==References==