Hirono gets endorsement from weather service union

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Rep. Mazie Hirono picked up an endorsement from the National Weather Service Employees Organization in her race for the U.S. Senate.

The group has about 4,000 members nationwide. The union said Sunday that it was supporting Hirono because of her stance she took on cutbacks proposed by congressional Republicans last February.

"Those cuts would have seriously comprised our ability to warn the coastal populations of Hawaii ahead of the next life threatening tsunami or hurricane," said union member Barry Hirshorn, a geophysicist at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. "Mazie voted against those cuts."

Kauai County Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. also threw his support behind Hirono.

Hirono is running against Republican former Gov. Linda Lingle to replace retiring Sen. Daniel Akaka.

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