Hirono is a heavy favorite to win the Democratic primary in Hawaii as she seeks re-election to the U.S. Senate – Winnipeg Free Press

HONOLULU (AP) — U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono and the state’s incumbent congressional representatives are favorites to win Hawaii’s Democratic primary on Saturday.

Hawaii is a vote-by-mail state. Ballots are mailed to registered voters who must return them by mail or to drop boxes throughout the islands. Voters can also cast their ballots in person at a handful of voter service centers in each county.

Ballots must be received at county polling stations no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day to be counted.

Here’s a rundown of the major races in Hawaii:

US Senate

Hirono is seeking her third term in the U.S. Senate, having first been elected to the position in 2012, succeeding Daniel Akaka.

In the Democratic primary, she will face Ron Curtis, whom she defeated 69% to 28% in the general election six years ago when he was the Republican nominee for the same seat. Also running is Clyde McClain Lewman, who finished seventh in the Democratic primary for governor in 2022 with 249 votes.

Hirono became a Hawaii state legislator in 1980, lieutenant governor of Hawaii in 1994, and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2007.

In 2017, she underwent surgery for kidney cancer, a year before she was last elected to a second six-year term in the Senate.

Former state Rep. Bob McDermott and five lesser-known candidates are seeking the Republican nomination for Senate. McDermott last ran for Senate two years ago, when he lost by a 44-point margin to Democrat Brian Schatz in the general election.

US House of Representatives

U.S. Rep. Ed Case is seeking the Democratic nomination to represent Hawaii’s 1st congressional district, running against Cecil Hale.

Case was first elected to the seat representing metropolitan Honolulu in 2018, after representing Hawaii’s 2nd congressional district from 2002 to 2007.

Patrick Largey has no opponent in the Republican primary.

In the race for the 2nd Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda is uncontested in the Democratic primary and Steve Bond is uncontested in the Republican primary. The district includes the suburbs of Honolulu and the neighboring islands.

State House

House Speaker Scott Saiki faces a tough battle against Kim Coco Iwamoto, who is running again after losing to Saiki by just 161 votes two years ago and 167 votes in 2020.

Their district includes downtown Honolulu and Kakaako, where a construction boom has seen warehouses converted into high-rise apartments.

Saiki, an attorney, has been speaker of the House of Representatives since 2017 and a state representative for three decades. His campaign website touts legislation passed this year that he says would provide a 70% tax cut for working-class families.

Iwamoto is an attorney who represented Oahu on the state Board of Education from 2006 to 2011. Her website states that she fights corruption and waste in government and ensures there are enough shelters and social workers to address homelessness.

Iwamoto was the highest-ranking openly transgender person elected in the country when she first won a seat on the board of education 18 years ago.