The national Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has made it official, saying it will spend no more money in the special election for Hawaii's vacant seat in Congress because an internal struggle among local Democrats could hand the seat to a Republican.

“;Local Democrats were unable to work out their differences,”; DCCC spokeswoman Jennifer Crider said in a statement. “;The DCCC will save the resources (it) would have invested in the Hawaii special election this month for the general election in November.”;

Recent polls have shown Ed Case and Colleen Hanabusa splitting the Democratic vote—enough to give Republican Charles Djou a victory in the winner-take-all election.

The results of the mail-in balloting will be announced May 22.

About 317,000 ballots went out April 30, and the Office of Elections said yesterday that more than 90,000—or 28 percent—have been returned. Walk-in voting at City Hall began yesterday.

News of the DCCC's pullout was welcomed by state Democratic Party Chairman Dante Carpenter, who said national party officials may have been “;overzealous.”;

  Case's Commercial Implies President's Endorsement

 

When KITV4 called to check if this commercial is something the President approved, the White House had no comment.

 

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“;Our reaction is, That's fine,”; Carpenter said. “;We think we have a different style of politics here. While they have been advocating somebody capitulating in deference to another, that's not the way we do our politics in Hawaii.”;

The DCCC has already spent more than $300,000 on the race, mostly on ads and a website attacking Djou, fearing a GOP upset in President Barack Obama's hometown could have unsettling national implications heading into the midterm elections in November.

Although the DCCC reportedly favored Case as the more viable candidate, Hanabusa received strong support from the local Democratic establishment, including U.S. Sens. Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka.

Internal polls showing Case with a lead among Democrats were leaked in what was seen as an effort to get Hanabusa to withdraw. But Hanabusa said last week that she would not back out of the race, prompting the committee's move yesterday.

While some national blogs equated the withdrawal with conceding the race to the GOP, at least one local analyst disagreed.

“;These congressional campaign committees are pretty pragmatic about using their money and resources,”; said University of Hawaii political scientist Neal Milner. “;I think that they figured out that there's nothing that their money can do anymore.”;

Djou, who had been critical of the committee's involvement from the start, denounced it again yesterday as “;insider meddling.”;

Djou said in a statement, “;The back room deals the Democrats attempted to construct here in the 1st Congressional District point to exactly what is wrong with Congress, and the voters in Hawaii have soundly rejected the insider meddling.”;