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WASHINGTON
Colleen Hanabusa

Hawaii senator locked in nail-biting Dem primary

Catalina Camia
USA TODAY
Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii

Hawaii's hotly contested Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate remained too close to call Sunday, with incumbent Sen. Brian Schatz clinging to a slim lead over Rep. Colleen Hanabusa in a race that could drag on for weeks.

Schatz, appointed to the seat in 2012 after the death of iconic Democratic senator Daniel Inouye, was leading Hanabusa, a congresswoman who had the support of Inouye's widow, by about 1,600​ votes. The results do not include two precincts on the Big Island of Hawaii, which was battered by Tropical Storm Iselle late last week.

The Hawaii Senate primary is the most competitive Democratic race in an election year where the Republican divide between the Tea Party and the mainstream, business-oriented wing has dominated intraparty contests.

Hawaii election officials will allow voters who would normally cast ballots in the Big Island's Puna district to vote by absentee ballot, The two precincts affected are inaccessible because of debris and trees that were downed by the powerful storm that hit the Big Island on Friday.

"We feel very good about where we are," Schatz told supporters and KITV, the NBC affiliate in Honolulu. "This is not how we drew this thing up, but it's a pretty good night for us. I could not be more honored. We'll wait for the final results."

Hanabusa also sounded confident and touted her ability to keep the race close, despite Schatz's advantage in fundraising and endorsements — including the support of President Obama and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. She declared the race is not yet over.

"We may not be leading at this point in time," she told KITV after addressing her supporters. "This campaign is a winner."

Schatz's lead came despite the stunning defeat Saturday of his political patron, Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who was trounced in his Democratic primary by little-known and underfunded state Sen. David Ige. Abercrombie appointed Schatz, then his lieutenant governor, to the Senate in 2012 despite Inouye's death-bed wish that Hanabusa take his place.

Abercrombie had to apologize for remarks made during a Los Angeles Times interview in which he questioned Inouye's intentions. Abercrombie's remarks were perceived as disrespectful of Inouye, a Democrat who had served Hawaii continuously in Congress since it achieved statehood in 1959.

Ige, chairman of the Hawaii Senate's Ways and Means Committee, will face Republican Duke Aiona, who was lieutenant governor in Republican Linda Lingle's administration, and former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, who is running as an independent. Because of Hawaii's strong Democratic tilt, Ige is favored to win the governor's race.

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, pledged his support for Ige. "He will lead in the tradition of strong Democratic governors who are working every day to create jobs, strengthen the middle class, and expand economic opportunity to all," Shumlin said in a statement.

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