A free-for-all "scramble" that has 44 candidates vying to replace the late U.S. Rep. Patsy Mink is what the state was trying to avoid by asking the Supreme Court to let the party replace her name on the general election ballot, says Gov. Ben Cayetano. Crowded House race
dismays CayetanoThe governor says he had hoped
to avoid a special-election meleeBy B.J. Reyes
Associated PressThe state will hold two special elections to replace the longtime Democrat in Congress.
The first election next Saturday is to fill the remaining weeks of Mink's current term in the 2nd Congressional District (rural Oahu-neighbor islands). Thirty-eight candidates are running in that race, and many are also among the 44 candidates running in the second special election Jan. 4 to fill Mink's vacancy in the next Congress.
Cayetano, who said he also was trying to save the state the estimated $3 million to $4 million it would cost for two special elections, first tried to move up the Nov. 30 ballot to run concurrently with the Nov. 5 general election.
After the Supreme Court denied the request, the state then asked to be allowed to replace Mink's name on the ballot, citing a scant two days by which the deadline passed to replace her name. That request also was denied.
"One reason we went to court to get the court to allow us to name a candidate to replace Patsy Mink for the Nov. 5 election was to avoid this problem," Cayetano said Thursday. "Everyone else disagreed with us. They wanted to let the people choose in the name of democracy, and now what you have is a scramble of 44 people running for the office.
"Most people will not have any information on the people running, and I think that the ones with the greatest name recognition will have a distinct advantage."
Both races' fields consist mostly of lesser-known candidates. There are 22 candidates entered in both races.
Mink's widower, John Mink, entered the Nov. 30 race saying he wanted to help his wife's staff fulfill her commitments to the outgoing Congress. He is not running for her full term.
Mink died Sept. 28, seven days after easily winning the Democratic nomination for her district. Her death also came two days after the deadline for the party to replace her name on the Nov. 5 general election ballot.
