GOP Wins in Obama's Home District
Saturday, Charles Djou was elected to represent Hawaii’s first congressional district, becoming the first Republican elected to the spot since 1991.
Saturday, Charles Djou was elected to represent Hawaii’s first congressional district, becoming the first Republican elected to the spot since 1991. The win has enormous symbolic importance – it’s an overwhelmingly Democratic area, and the district where the President was born, to boot.
But what kind of Congressman will Djou be? FrumForum had an exclusive interview with Representative-elect Djou back in January of this year, and found an intelligent, thoughtful and experienced candidate.
Once Djou arrives in the District of Columbia, he will have a wealth of experience to draw upon as a former local legislator, professor and military lawyer. As I mentioned in my original profile of Saturday’s victor:
Djou has no end to the accolades attached to his name: Adjunct Professor at the University of Hawaii; JAG reserve officer; named legislator of the year in ’02, ’04, ’06; top forty under 40 to watch in Hawaii in 2005; ‘best politician in the state’ honors from Honolulu Weekly.
Despite his skills, the jury is out as to how well Djou will fit in with his colleagues in the Republican caucus. Coming from an overwhelmingly Democratic district, Djou is a moderate Republican who fits the Scott Brown mold. In January, he told FrumForum that he supported TARP; that he was pro-choice; that he would support the immediate repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”; and that the Republican Party had not done a good enough job at promoting environmental stewardship.
George Mason University Professor Stephen Farnsworth told FrumForum that Djou will face many of the same problems as New Orleans Republican Congressman Joseph Cao, who won his seat despite an especially liberal electorate.
Cao has had a very difficult time trying to establish a moderate presence within the Republican caucus… he has faced a lot of pressure from within the caucus to be more conservative than in the best interests of his [reelection prospects] would suggest… when he’s trying to offer a more moderate, centrist vision for his voting record, he gets in trouble with other Republicans. And this would be exactly the kind of troubles [Djou] would face.
Djou’s victory will shake up the Hawaiian political landscape. Republican success in Hawaii has, for many years, been blocked by the network constructed by former members of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, an overwhelmingly Japanese-American Army unit which current Hawaiian Senator Daniel Inouye once belonged to, and to which Inouye protégé and Djou opponent Colleen Hanabusa is well-connected. Republican Governor Linda Lingle’s election was the first wakeup call for the Democratic establishment. Rep. Djou’s victory is the second.
With this win, Djou will become an icon for Hawaiian Republicans. He’ll have a platform to speak frankly and forcefully about the damage Obamacare will do to Hawaii; he’ll be able to expand the (admittedly) small Republican base in the Aloha State; and he’ll be one of the most capable legislators Hawaii has ever sent to represent them in Congress. Hawaiians will undoubtedly be served well by their decision.