WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard won her primary election in her home state of Hawaii on Saturday, taking 77.6 percent of the vote, meaning she is well on her way back to Washington D.C.
Her closest challenger, Shay Chan Hodges, of Maui, had 14.2 percent.
Only 96,186 voters, or 13.2 percent, went out to the polls on Saturday, while total turnout was 252,703, or 34.8 percent of 726,940 registered voters, the lowest turnout since Hawaii became a state. The majority of those voted absentee or at early polling sites.
Gabbard, who is seeking her third two-year term in the 2nd Congressional District, will face Republican Angela Aulani Kaaihue, who won the GOP primary with 7,449 votes, or 37.9 percent, defeating challenger Eric Hafner. A third candidate, Richard Turner, ran as a nonpartisan and garnered 697 votes.
She sent out a video and in thanking her supporters she said, “Namaste and Aloha. Thank you so much for all the support you have shown me and for standing with me strong throughout this entire campaign,” Gabbard said during her victory speech. “Your support has enabled me to be able to run this strong campaign, and for that I am grateful!”
Reacting to such a large victory, Gabbard said the wide margin should be viewed as a “great vote of confidence” in her work in Congress. If she wins the general election, she plans to tackle homelessness, Hawaii’s high cost of living and rural access to health care and quality education.
“Families are being priced out of paradise, priced out of their homes, being forced to move to the mainland because they can’t afford to put a roof over their heads,” Gabbard said.
