Hawaii Republican primary recounts confirmed razor-thin leads for two GOP candidates, with final results pending ballot cures due by Friday afternoon, according to state election officials.
Recounts of votes from Saturday’s closest primary contests kept Republican state Rep. Kanani Souza ahead of challenger Sheila Medeiros by one vote, and longtime GOP figure Bob McDermott still narrowly in front of state Sen. Kurt Fevella in another tight race.
Dozens of voters still have time to resolve issues with their mail ballots, and results will not be final until about 7 p.m. Friday, according to Chief Election Officer Scott Nago.
The recount completed shortly before 10 p.m. Tuesday confirmed Souza received 841 votes in the Republican primary to Medeiros’ 840 in the year’s closest contest. There is no opponent in the general election for the House seat representing Kapolei and Makakilo, so the primary winner will take the seat.
Nago said the recount, which state law requires, did not change the tallies. However, about 85 ballots in the Fevella-McDermott Senate race and 30 in the Souza-Medeiros House race remain pending while officials await voter confirmation.
“It’s just that they didn’t have a signature, or their signature didn’t match, and now they can fix that for it to be counted,” Nago said. Voters have until 4:30 p.m. Friday to correct those issues, after which the final count will be released.
Souza’s contest is believed to be the closest election in state history other than the 1988 Democratic state House primary between Romy Cachola and Connie Chun, which ended in a 1,795-to-1,795 tie and was decided by a general election runoff, Nago said. “I don’t think there has ever been a one-vote difference,” he added.
In the Senate primary, McDermott led Fevella 1,211 to 1,204. If that result stands, McDermott will face Democrat Markus Owens in the Nov. 3 general election.
Fevella has served nearly eight years in the Senate. McDermott served 16 years in the state House and said he previously supported Fevella before the two had a personal falling out.
McDermott said he was surprised by turnout of more than 2,700 voters in the district’s Republican primary, far higher than in past cycles, and by the tight margin. “We haven’t had competition before,” he said, adding that Republicans have often struggled to field candidates, but “the good news is we finally got to the point where we were actually having some competition.”
Hawaii Republican primary recounts and a special Senate race
In other election developments, Hawaii Republican Party officials said Wednesday they selected tourism executive Kelly Kitashima as the party’s candidate in a Nov. 3 special election to fill Senate District 18, which includes Mililani Town, Waipi‘o Gentry, Crestview and Waikele.
State Sen. Michelle Kidani, who served 18 years, resigned in June, saying she could no longer meet the job’s responsibilities. Because the resignation came after the filing deadline, a special election was triggered, with each party selecting a nominee.
Kitashima has more than 24 years of leadership experience in Hawaii’s hospitality and tourism sector, including roles in resort operations, sales, marketing, community relations, acquisitions and business development, according to a party announcement.
Gov. Josh Green appointed Democrat Danielle Bass to temporarily represent Senate District 18. Bass is expected to be a leading contender when Democrats choose their nominee for the special election on Aug. 22. The Green and Libertarian parties will also field candidates, and a nonpartisan candidate will be selected by lottery.
Editor’s note: This story reflects that additional ballots may be cured and counted by Friday’s deadline. For more on this year’s contests, see coverage of in-person turnout as Hawaii’s primary election ended.
