BY KYLE TRYGSTAD — Coming off an easy Republican primary victory Saturday, Hawaii Rep. Charles Djou released on Monday his first TV ad of the general election. It’s his second TV ad overall, after releasing an ad before the primary.
“With our decisive victory in the Primary Election over the weekend, our campaign is beginning the next phase with confidence, energy and excitement,” Djou said in a press release announcing the ad.
In the 30-second spot, Djou lists his achievements in Washington and says “we’ve just started to make a difference.” In the general, Djou is facing state Sen. Colleen Hanabusa, who won the Democratic primary with 70 percent of the vote.
The Honolulu-based 1st district came open earlier this year when former Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D) left office to focus on his gubernatorial bid, which will continue now that he has won his primary.
Hanabusa and former Rep. Ed Case split the Democratic vote in the May special election, allowing Djou to take the seat with just 39 percent of the vote. Winning the Democratic-leaning district will be more difficult for Djou in November, and Democrats in Washington believe it will be among the handful of GOP seats the party picks up this year.
“It should come as no surprise that the one thing Charles Djou won’t do in his TV ads is talk about his voting record since it represents an economic agenda out of step with the needs and interests of the people of Hawaii,” said Andy Stone, spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Whether it’s Djou’s opposition to reining in Wall Street excesses, emergency unemployment benefits for people struggling to find a job and preventing future taxpayer-funded bailouts or his support for privatizing Social Security and protecting tax breaks for job outsourcers, it’s clear that Charles Djou is out of touch with the economic concerns families in Hawaii are facing.”