David Ige Wins Hawaii Governor's Race

David Ige Wins Hawaii Governor's Race

Democrat David Ige defeated Republican James "Duke" Aiona and Independent Mufi Hannemann in Hawaii's gubernatorial race Tuesday.

In August's Democratic primary, Ige, an electrical engineer and state senator, defeated former Gov. Neil Abercrombie in a stunning upset. Ige was trailing badly in campaign donations, had little name recognition and no experience running a statewide campaign, but he managed to make the primary a referendum on leadership style.

Ige was seen by many Democrats as a calmer alternative to Abercrombie, who had served for nearly four straight decades in public office. Having run the Senate Ways and Means committee, Ige also had budget chops and many friends in the Legislature.

Before the primary upset, the 2014 race for governor was expected to be a rematch of the 2010 campaign, when Democrat Neil Abercrombie defeated Aiona, a former Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii, in a landslide. Abercrombie also handily defeated Hannemann in the Democratic primary that year.

Hannemann, a former mayor of Honolulu, decided to run as an independent this year, allowing him to avoid a contested primary. In 2012, Hannemann lost to Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), as a Democrat, in the Democratic primary to represent the state's 2nd District.

Ige will be Hawaii's eighth governor since statehood in 1959. He will be the sixth Democrat to hold the office.

Below, a liveblog of more election news:

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