Pres. Joe Biden won the Democratic Party of Hawaii’s Party-Run Presidential Primary as expected on Wednesday but, thanks to a wave of apparent protest votes, by a much smaller of margin than typical for an incumbent candidate within his own party. 

What You Need To Know

  • Overall, Biden received 1,032 (66%) of the 1,563 votes cast by party members. The next highest vote total, 455 (29.1%), went to “Uncommitted,” an option the party voted to include on the ballot.

  • Of 10 states that offered some variation of an “uncommitted” or “none of these candidates” option and completed a party caucus or primary, Hawaii recorded highest percentage of such votes by far

  • Many uncommitted votes were filed in protest of the Biden administration's handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict
  • Certified results will be released after March 16

 

Overall, Biden received 1,032 (66%) of the 1,563 votes cast by party members. The next highest vote total, 455 (29.1%), went to “Uncommitted,” an option the party voted to include on the ballot.

Among other candidates, Marianne Williamson garnered 50 votes (3.2%), followed by Dean Phillips (1%), Jason Palmer (0.4%). Phillips suspended his campaign earlier in the day.

“We want to thank all our volunteers that worked through the weeks and months to make today happen,” said state Rep. Adrian Tam, interim chair of the party, in a release issued on Wednesday evening. “Thank you to everyone for participating in our primary and for making their voices heard. Congratulations to President Joe Biden for his victory tonight.”

Certified results will be released after March 16.

Of 10 states that offered some variation of an “uncommitted” or “none of these candidates” option and completed a party caucus or primary, Hawaii recorded highest percentage of such votes by far, surpassing Minnesota (19%), Michigan and North Carolina (13.%), and Massachusetts (9%). In Iowa, Biden garnered 91% of the vote, with only 4% of voters choosing “uncommitted.”

Mike Inouye, 39, of Makiki, said his “uncommitted” vote was firmly rooted in the Biden administration’s ongoing support of Israel despite the deteriorating situation in Gaza.

“I made up my mind before (the Hamas attack on Israel on) Oct. 7,” Inouye said. “Gaza has had multiple Oct. 7s. There have been multiple Flower Massacres. Babies are dying of starvation and the situation is only going increase rapidly because Israel is blocking humanitarian aid from getting in, especially in Rafah. What’s happening in Gaza is objectively genocide and the Democratic Party’s bloody hands are all over it.”

A self-identified socialist, Inouye said he will not only withhold support for the likely Democratic presidential nominee, he is through with the party itself.

“I will not vote for a Democrat again for the rest of my life,” he said. “I will never vote for a Republican, but I will never vote for another Democrat.”

Inouye also said he was unmoved by arguments that decreased turnout for Biden in the General Election could help former president Donald Trump return to office.

“Donald Trump is objectively a fascist and he’s done things that have hurt the Palestinian people as well but the argument for choosing the lesser evil has been hung over our heads constantly for generations,” he said.

Still, other Hawaii Democrats who turned out for Wednesday’s primary said the difference between Biden and Trump, and the consequences of those differences for the American people, are definitively stark.

James Moffitt, 70, of Makiki said he is hopeful that ongoing behind-the-scenes cease-fire negotiations and a possible two-state solution will bring an end to the current situation in Gaza and provide a peaceful path forward. To him, the argument that Biden is better suited than his presidential predecessor to manage U.S. involvement in the Middle East and other geopolitical affairs is obvious.

“Oh my God, yes,” he said. “NATO is vitally important. My father was a bomber pilot in World War II and anyone who disses them and then threatens to pull us out — that’s a disaster. Similarly, with support for Ukraine.”

Moffitt said he also support Biden because the president is “very fiercely” on the side of issues that mean the most to him, including continued support for Social Security and Medicare.

Hawaii Kai resident Dawn Morais Webster said she too finds the humanitarian crisis in Gaza untenable but remains steadfastly supportive of the current administration.

“We’re doing well on so many levels, including economically,” she said. “The alternative is loathsome and corrupt.”

Morais Webster said she is particularly concerned, in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, that a second Trump presidency will result in further erosion of women’s rights.

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.