| Election Name: | 2012 United States Senate election in Hawaii |
| Country: | Hawaii |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2006 United States Senate election in Hawaii |
| Previous Year: | 2006 |
| Next Election: | 2018 United States Senate election in Hawaii |
| Next Year: | 2018 |
| Turnout: | 44.2% (voting eligible)[1] |
| Election Date: | November 6, 2012 |
| Image1: | File:Mazie Hirono, official portrait, 112th Congress.jpg |
| Nominee1: | Mazie Hirono |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 269,489 |
| Percentage1: | 62.60% |
| Nominee2: | Linda Lingle |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 160,994 |
| Percentage2: | 37.40% |
| Map Size: | 310px |
| U.S. Senator | |
| Before Election: | Daniel Akaka |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Mazie Hirono |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
The 2012 United States Senate election in Hawaii took place on November 6, 2012, concurrently with the 2012 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate and House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic senator Daniel Akaka decided to retire instead of seeking a fourth full term. Democrat Mazie Hirono defeated Republican Linda Lingle in a rematch of Hawaii's 2002 gubernatorial election. This was the first open Senate seat in the state of Hawaii since 1976.
U.S. Representative Daniel Akaka was appointed by Governor John Waihee to the U.S. Senate to serve temporarily after the death of U.S. Senator Spark Matsunaga, and sworn into office on May 16, 1990. On November 6 of the same year, he was elected to complete the remaining four years of Matsunaga's unexpired term. He was re-elected in 1994 for a first full six-year term and again in 2000 and 2006. Despite originally saying he would seek re-election in 2012,[2] on March 2, 2011, Akaka announced that he would not run for re-election.[3]
The primary election was held on August 11.[4] After being locked in a tight race with Ed Case, her predecessor in Congress, incumbent Congresswoman Mazie Hirono pulled away in the final vote, handily defeating Case.
In December 2011, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairwoman and U.S. Senator Patty Murray for Washington endorsed Hirono.[12] U.S. Senator and President Pro Tempore Daniel Inouye for Hawaii also endorsed her. Case criticized "D.C. insiders." He also argued that he is a fiscal moderate, while Hirono was rated the 6th most liberal member of the U.S. House.[13] [14] The Daily Kos blog described Ed Case a "Democratic villain."[15]
| Poll source | Ed Case | Mazie Hirono | Undecided | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=left | Public Policy Polling[16] | October 13–16, 2011 | 368 | ±5.1% | 40% | 45% | 15% | ||
| align=left | Civil Beat Poll[17] | January 18–19, 2012 | 1,358 | ±2.7% | 41% | 39% | 20% | ||
| align=left | Honolulu Star-Advertiser[18] | January 26 – February 5, 2012 | 599 | ±4.0% | 36% | 56% | 8% | ||
| align=left | Civil Beat Poll[19] | June 5–7, 2012 | 731 | ±3.6% | 46% | 46% | 8% | ||
| align=left | Honolulu Star-Advertiser | July 5–9, 2012 | 599 | ±4.0% | 40% | 43% | 9% | ||
| align=left | Honolulu Star-Advertiser[20] | July 12–21, 2012 | 606 | ±4.0% | 37% | 55% | 8% | ||
| align=left | Civil Beat/Merriman River[21] | July 31 – August 2, 2012 | 1,227 | ±2.8% | 47% | 46% | 9% |
The primary election was held on August 11.
| Candidate (party) | Receipts | Disbursements | Cash on hand | Debt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mazie Hirono (D) | $5,518,572 | $5,657,753 | $77,323 | $241,951 | |
| Linda Lingle (R) | $5,865,323 | $5,839,282 | $26,042 | $194,534 | |
| Source: Federal Election Commission[35] [36] | |||||
| Mazie Hirono | Contribution | Linda Lingle | Contribution | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EMILY's List | $215,640 | Goldman Sachs | $39,900 | ||
| University of Hawaii | $29,900 | Elliott Management Corporation | $39,500 | ||
| Kobayashi, Sugita & Goda | $24,618 | Humanscale Corporation | $34,000 | ||
| Alexander & Baldwin | $23,100 | Bank of America | $21,240 | ||
| RM Towill Corp | $23,000 | Richie's Specialty Pharmacy | $20,000 | ||
| Weitz & Luxenberg | $22,400 | Marriott International | $19,500 | ||
| Council for a Livable World | $20,914 | Murray Energy | $19,205 | ||
| Nan, Inc. | $20,000 | State of Hawaii | $18,350 | ||
| Thornton & Naumes | $20,000 | Devon Energy | $15,500 | ||
| BNP Paribas | $17,250 | Crown Associates Realty | $15,000 | ||
| Source: OpenSecrets[37] | |||||
| Mazie Hirono | Contribution | Linda Lingle | Contribution | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $524,619 | Retired | $640,433 | ||
| Women's Issues | $336,772 | Financial Institutions | $368,837 | ||
| Retired | $194,307 | Leadership PACs | $291,500 | ||
| Leadership PACs | $186,500 | Real Estate | $249,216 | ||
| Real Estate | $123,598 | Pro-Israel | $185,500 | ||
| Transportation Unions | $110,400 | Health Professionals | $154,550 | ||
| Lobbyists | $109,344 | Petroleum Industry | $137,950 | ||
| Public Sector Unions | $108,000 | Misc Finance | $137,500 | ||
| Democratic/Liberal | $85,788 | Lawyers/Law Firms | $135,086 | ||
| Shipping Industry | $85,385 | Republican/Conservative | $101,664 | ||
| Source: OpenSecrets[38] | |||||
| Source | Ranking | As of | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=left | The Cook Political Report[39] | November 1, 2012 | ||
| align=left | Sabato's Crystal Ball[40] | November 5, 2012 | ||
| align=left | Rothenberg Political Report[41] | November 2, 2012 | ||
| align=left | Real Clear Politics[42] | November 5, 2012 |
| Poll source | Mazie Hirono (D) | Linda Lingle (R) | Undecided | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=left | Public Policy Polling[43] | March 24–27, 2011 | 898 | ±3.3% | 52% | 40% | 9% | ||
| align=left | Honolulu Star-Advertiser[44] | May 4–10, 2011 | 614 | ±4.0% | 57% | 35% | 8% | ||
| align=left | Public Policy Polling | October 13–16, 2011 | 568 | ±4.1% | 48% | 42% | 10% | ||
| align=left | Civil Beat/Merriman River[45] | January 18–19, 2012 | 1,358 | ±2.7% | 46% | 39% | 16% | ||
| align=left | Honolulu Star-Advertiser[46] | January 26 – February 5, 2012 | 771 | ±3.5% | 57% | 37% | 5% | ||
| align=left | Public Policy Polling[47] | May 16–17, 2012 | 600 | ±4.0% | 50% | 41% | 9% | ||
| align=left | Civil Beat/Merriman River[48] | June 5–7, 2012 | 1,105 | ±2.9% | 49% | 44% | 5% | ||
| align=left | Honolulu Star-Advertiser | July 12–21, 2012 | 756 | ±3.6% | 58% | 39% | 4% | ||
| align=left | Civil Beat/Merriman River[49] | September 26–28, 2012 | 1,684 | ±2.4% | 55% | 39% | 6% | ||
| align=left | Honolulu Star-Advertiser[50] | October 15–22, 2012 | 786 | ±3.5% | 57% | 35% | 8% | ||
| align=left | Civil Beat/Merriman River[51] | October 24–26, 2012 | 1,218 | ±2.8% | 55% | 40% | 5% |
Democratic primary
with Duke Aiona
with Colleen Hanabusa
| Poll source | Colleen Hanabusa (D) | Linda Lingle (R) | Undecided/Other | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=left | Public Policy Polling | March 24–27, 2011 | 898 | ±3.3% | 51% | 40% | 9% | ||
| align=left | Honolulu Star-Advertiser | May 4–10, 2011 | 614 | ±4.0% | 54% | 39% | 7% |
with Charles Djou
With Mufi Hannemann
| Poll source | Mufi Hannemann (D) | Linda Lingle (R) | Undecided/Other | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=left | Public Policy Polling | March 24–27, 2011 | 898 | ±3.3% | 47% | 40% | 14% | ||
| align=left | Honolulu Star-Advertiser | May 4–10, 2011 | 614 | ±4.0% | 51% | 36% | 13% |
with Brian Schatz
| Poll source | Ed Case (D) | Linda Lingle (R) | Undecided/Other | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=left | Public Policy Polling | March 24–27, 2011 | 898 | ±3.3% | 52% | 35% | 12% | ||
| align=left | Honolulu Star-Advertiser | May 4–10, 2011 | 614 | ±4.0% | 54% | 36% | 10% | ||
| align=left | Public Policy Polling | October 13–16, 2011 | 568 | ±4.1% | 43% | 45% | 12% | ||
| align=left | Civil Beat/Merriman River | January 18–19, 2012 | 1,358 | ±2.7% | 46% | 33% | 20% | ||
| align=left | Honolulu Star-Advertiser | January 26 – February 5, 2012 | 771 | ±3.5% | 56% | 36% | 8% | ||
| align=left | Civil Beat/Merriman River | June 5–7, 2012 | 1,105 | ±2.9% | 52% | 36% | 12% | ||
| align=left | Honolulu Star-Advertiser | July 12–21, 2012 | 756 | ±3.6% | 56% | 38% | 6% |
Hirono won both congressional districts.[53]
| District | Hirono | Lingle | Representative | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 59.94% | 40.06% | Colleen Hanabusa | |||
| 65.24% | 34.76% | Tulsi Gabbard | |||
Campaign sites (Archived)