Hawaii voters to head to the polls for weekend primary

Voters in the Aloha State on Saturday will choose nominees in several races including for the state’s 1st Congressional District, governor and lieutenant governor, as well as for several state legislature seats.

Democratic Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke faces a tough reelection bid following indictment for bribery charges—to which she pleaded not guilty—surrounding campaign donations during her time as a state representative. Luke faces a crowded field of five Democrats and four Republicans seeking their parties’ nominations. Former Hawaii lieutenant governors include the state’s current Democratic U.S. Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz as well as Democratic Gov. Josh Green. Green is seeking reelection against three Democratic primary challengers, but according to reports his campaign has outraised them all.

What about Hawaii’s two House seats? In Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District, incumbent Rep. Jill Tokuda faces three primary challengers for the Democratic nomination. For the same seat, two nonpartisan candidates will seek nomination and the Republican candidate runs unopposed. Rep. Ed Case, a six-term Democrat, has four primary challengers vying for the 1st District seat, including state Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole. Case faces criticism from Keohokalole for crossing party lines as one of the four Democrats in April to vote in favor of President Donald Trump’s Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or the SAVE Act. Adriel Lam, a U.S. Army Veteran, runs unopposed for the 1st District’s Republican nomination.

Dig deeper: Read Liz Lykins’ report on the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a Hawaii gun restrictions law in June.