Introduction to Hawaii Politics

Hawaii has a unique history of indigenous peoples and American domination.  In 1993 Bill Clinton actually signed an apology passed by Congress for the overthrow of Hawaii’s Queen Liliuokalani by American planters, businessmen, and U.S. Marines in 1893.  Hawaii has an incredibly diverse population.  In the 1950s, returning WWII veterans joined forces with unions and Japanese Americans to form a solid Democratic machine.   Japanese Americans make up the heart of the Hawaii Democratic Party because of their history of working in organizations and unions, Hawaiian Whites lean Republican, Filipinos are heavily Democratic, Chinese fall in the middle, and Native Hawaiians tend to be Democratic but are less likely to be politically involved.

Hawaii has 4 electoral votes.