ASIAN AMERICAN ACTION FUND (aaa-fund.org & aaa-fund.com)’
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE’

CONTACT:  Executive Director Gautam Dutta, Esq.(202.236.2048; info AT aaa-fund.org)’

AAA-Fund Candidate Stuns DC Pundits with Strong Finish
Colleen Hanabusa Favored to Win Congressional Seat in November

MAY 22, 2010, HONOLULU — Stunning the national political establishment, Colleen Hanabusa emerged as the top Hawai’i Democrat in a divisive special election for Congress.  The AAA-Fund candidate’s dramatic finish makes her the odds-on favorite to win this Congressional seat in November.

“Some told us that we shouldn’t be in this race. They told us to sit on the sidelines. They thought that we were going to fail. But momentum has been on our side, and continues to build to our advantage,” said Colleen Hanabusa.

“Tonight, Colleen Hanabusa stood and delivered.  Like Joe Sestak, she listened to the voters, and not to voices outside the state,” said Gautam Dutta, AAA Fund Executive Director. “We’ll continue to do our utmost to help her win this Democratic district in the September primary and November general election,” Dutta added.

Although Democrats won nearly 60 percent of the vote, Republican Charles Djou won the May 22 special election – because Democrat Ed Case siphoned off thousands of votes from Hanabusa.  In the final tally, Democrats Hanabusa and Case garnered, respectively, 31 percent and 28 percent of the vote; while Republican Djou received 39 percent of the vote.

The 1st Congressional District’s Democratic majority became divided due to Hawai’i's unusual method of filling midterm vacancies.  Instead of facing off in a separate party primary, all candidates ran against one other in a winner-take-all election.

A number of polls in this fiercely contested election had shown Hanabusa trailing Djou and Case. In fact, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) almost endorsed Case, because they did not believe that Hanabusa could win the Democratic vote.  However, after learning important facts on the ground from AAA-Fund and other top Asian American leaders, the DCCC decided to stay neutral.

“There’s no time for a blame game. Now is the opportunity for all of us on the national front to close ranks behind Colleen Hanabusa. The September primary election awaits, and we Democrats must unite behind the candidate chosen by the voters,” said Bel Leong-Hong, AAA-Fund Chair-Elect.

Colleen Hanabusa was elected President of the Hawaii State Senate in 2006, becoming the first woman to lead either chamber in the state’s legislature, and the first Asian American woman in the country to lead a state legislature.

Hanabusa is a fourth-generation Japanese-American. Her great-grandparents came to Hawaii in the 1880s to work on a sugar plantation. Hanabusa earned her B.A., M.A., and J.D. from the University of Hawaii, and was a successful labor lawyer for more than 30 years.

This special election was triggered by the unexpected resignation of former Congressmember Neil Abercrombie, who stepped down to run for Hawai’i Governor.  The party primary for this seat will be held on September 18, 2010; the general election, November 2, 2010.

The AAA-Fund is a national Democratic political organization whose goal is to increase the voice of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) in local, state and federal government, by encouraging AAPIs to volunteer on campaigns, raise money for candidates, and run for political office.

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