Bernie Sanders Wins Hawaiʻi

Bernie Sanders campaign sign. Photo by Wendy Osher.

33,716 ballots were cast today in Hawai‘i’s Presidential Preference Poll. Unofficial Candidate totals are below:

Bernie Sanders 23,530 Ballots 70%

Hillary Clinton 10,125 Ballots 30%

Rocky De La Fuente 12 Ballots 0%

Martin O’Malley 6 Ballots 0%

Uncommitted 43 Ballots 0%

Based on those totals, 17 delegates were awarded to Sanders and 8 to Clinton. Here are the totals by Congressional District and county: Delegates (% of Vote) Delegates (% of Vote)

Congressional District 1 3 Clinton (38%) / 5 Sanders (62%)

Congressional District 2 2 Clinton (25%) / 6 Sanders (75%)

At-Large Delegates 2 Clinton / 4 Sanders

Pledge PLEO 1 Clinton / 2 Sanders

“Today’s turnout is a real testament to the hard work and commitment of the Sanders and Clinton campaigns and the engagement of Hawai‘i Democrats in the presidential process,” said State Party Chair Stephanie Ohigashi. “We saw turnout today reminiscent of 2008 when Hawai‘i Democrats broke all records in the contest between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton,” Ohigashi said.

“I would like to thank all of the volunteers who worked so hard to make to make today successful. From Pahala to Kaumakani the Democratic Party volunteers and the Presidential campaign representatives demonstrated the very best of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i.”

The official results will be certified by the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i State Central Committee within 20 days.

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UPDATE: US Senator Bernie Sanders on Saturday (Sunday ET) issued a statement after The Associated Press declared him the winner of Hawaiʻi’s Democratic caucuses saying:

“I want to thank the people of Hawaiʻi for their strong support and for turning out in huge numbers for Saturday’s caucuses. Nobody should have any doubt that this campaign has extraordinary momentum and that we have a path toward victory. In state after state, our grassroots effort has taken on the entire political establishment. We have taken on the senators and the governors and the mayors and the members of Congress. Our political revolution is the best chance we have to keep Donald Trump or any other Republican out of the White House.”

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02), who publicly endorsed Sanders, also released a statement saying:

“These results are amazing. Bernie Sanders’ big win in Hawaiʻi is to his credit, but also to the credit of all the incredible grassroots volunteers who have worked so hard to turn out the vote today. Bernie Sanders had very little name recognition in Hawaiʻi compared to Hillary Clinton. She had the endorsement of nearly all of Hawaiʻi’s former Governors, former Members of Congress, and the other three members of our congressional delegation. It was so inspiring to see how people came out all across the state to vote today, on every island, and made sure their voices were heard. We stood together and sent a message that we want to bring our government back into the hands of the people; and that we must end the costly interventionist wars we’ve been engaging in for the past fifteen years, and focus on investing in our own communities and rebuilding our own nation.”

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Jane Sanders answering constituent questions at a meet-and-greet venue at the Mill House located at the Maui Tropical Plantation in Waikapū. (3.21.16) Photo by Wendy Osher.

With 88% of the votes tallied, Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has an overwhelming 71% of the lead in Hawaiʻi’s Democratic Presidential Preference Polls.  According to preliminary results released by the party, 22,661 ballots were cast for Sanders, while just 9,377 were cast for Hillary Rodham Clinton (representing 29% of the partial results).

Rocky De La Fuente had 12 votes, Martin O’Malley had 6, and 40 were uncommitted.  All counting for 0%.

The tabulating is continuing for the remaining 12%, with all remaining precincts coming from Oʻahu.

Party representative say the total number of ballots cast was 32,096.

The totals are considered “unofficial,” pending hand counting and verification of ballots scheduled in the coming week.  The official tally will be certified by the State Central Committee and released to the public within 20 days per the rules and by-laws of the Democratic Party of Hawai’i.

The Democratic Presidential Preference Polling sites across the state opened at 1 p.m. with many sites reporting crowded conditions.

On Maui, there were nine Precinct meeting locations. Participants at the Haʻikū Community Center tell Maui Now that the experience was “very different from the regular elections,” and some described the atmosphere as “loud, unorganized and crowded.”

Earlier today, Bernie Sanders won Washington State and Alaska, defeating Hillary Clinton as the two vie for the Democratic party nomination.

At stake in Hawai’i are 34 Delegates who will travel to the Democratic National Convention to be held in Philadelphia this coming July.

The Democratic Party State Convention will be held on May 28-29, 2016 at the Sheraton Waikīkī Hotel and the Democratic National Convention will be held in Philadelphia on the week of July 25. Prior to the state convention, a Maui County Convention is scheduled on May 7, 2016.