It's exciting whenever there's a chance to promote a Congressional Progressive Caucus member from the House to the Senate.
That's the situation we have in Hawai`i. Even more exciting, our progressive candidate is looking strong.
After being elected to represent the people of Hawai`i's 2nd Congressional District by wide margins three consecutive times, Rep. Mazie Hirono is a household name in the state, with nearly 100% name recognition and a 64% favorability rating (highest of any political figure).
Her recently announced candidacy for U.S. Senate is generating a lot of buzz. Please follow me below for some campaign updates. But first, please consider following her on Twitter and Facebook.
Mazie impresses at Young Dems function
The 2nd Congressional District is farflung, including all Hawaiian Islands, with only urban Honolulu excluded. So, when she gets home during Congressional recesses, Mazie usually jumps on a plane and heads off the to the remote corners of her district to meet with constituents. Those visits are rarely covered by the local press. So, it's not easy to get coverage of her work from the state's Honolulu-centric media. Luckily, the Young Democrats of Hawai`i recently hosted a forum on education and energy in Honolulu, and award-winning online newspaper Civil Beat sent a reporter. He was impressed:
Hirono was poised, in command of issues both local and national.
She deplored the contract impasse with the state and the Hawaii State Teachers Association, praised President Obama and Governor Neil Abercrombie for embracing her top priority of early childhood education, noted that she went to Kaimuki High School . . . , dropped the name of the beloved Patsy Mink and pointed out that she met her future husband when she was president of Young Democrats way back in the day.
Her answers to audience questions were tight, crisp and soundbite ready.
Mazie racks up diverse early endorsements
EMILY's List endorsed Mazie last month ("and we couldn't be more excited," tweeted executive director Stephanie Schriock). Two large labor unions, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants and Laborers' Local 368, also recently endorsed her. With the Democratic primary coming up next August, she's putting together a diverse coalition.
Aloha for Mazie at home & on the Mainland
Mazie has been garnering a lot of national attention this year. I happened to be on Twitter during this spring's infamous debate on defunding Planned Parenthood. The spontaneous outpouring of praise for Mazie's speech in strong support of Planned Parenthood's work for women's and girls' health was striking. It seemed to come from all parts of the country. Here's her floor speech:
She's also been recognized as a leading spokesperson for the groundbreaking People's Budget proposal and has been lauded at an event on the East Coast 5,000 miles away from home. It's nice to know that a message of aloha resonates even outside Hawai`i. Here at home she's recently been recognized as "2011 Remarkable Person" by a local YWCA. Staying relevant on both the local and national scene isn't the easiest thing - especially when home is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean (as far away from the Beltway as is possible in the U.S.). But it appears that Mazie is doing just that.
I hope you'll check out her website and help the campaign keep buzzing along:
http://mazieforhawaii.com
Mahalo!