New voter poll shows shift in support for gubernatorial candidates

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - According to a new Honolulu Star Advertiser poll, U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa's lead in the race for governor is dwindling over Gov. David Ige in the Democratic primary.

The poll, released Sunday, has Gov. Ige slightly ahead by four percentage points.

The poll asked potential voters if the primary was held today, who would get their vote?

Some 44 percent of likely Democratic voters surveyed said they would vote for Ige while only 40 percent would choose Hanabusa.

Another 16 percent said they are undecided.

On Sunday, both the Ige and Hanabusa campaigns issued statements regarding the poll results.

"We're very pleased with the Star Advertiser's independent poll results. We have been working hard to reach every voter with Governor Ige's long list of accomplishments. When given the opportunity to compare their record of achievements, we hope the momentum will continue and the ballots will be cast in favor for Governor's second term," the Ige campaign said.

Meanwhile, campaign organizers for Hanabusa said their Hawaii-based poll results reflected a much different outcome, with Hanabusa gaining voter support with a "strong margin."

"We are grateful and humbled by the outpouring of support for Colleen's proven leadership and her plan to take action and build a better future for Hawaii. Reception on all islands has been positive, with several of our events filling to capacity," the Hanabusa campaign said.

"This election, like every election, every vote matters. During this final month of the campaign, we are focused on getting our voters to the polls and sharing Colleen's vision," the campaign added.

The Star Advertiser poll took place from July 6 to 11. An independent polling group, Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy, polled 494 likely Demoratic primary voters over the phone. The poll has a margin of error of 4.5 percent.

The numbers are much different than the polls that took place in March when Hanabusa had 47 percent voter support compared to Ige's 27 percent — a 20 point difference.

On the Republican side, State Rep. Andria Tupola also made big gains in the latest poll against attorney and former state Sen. John Carroll and opponent Raymond L'Heureux.

The poll states that some 41 percent of likely Republican primary voters said they would vote for Tupola, compared to the 28 percent who said they would vote for Carroll. L'heureux came in with eight percentage poll points.

Of potential Republican voters, if the election were held today, 23 percent of those surveyed said they were undecided.

This poll included 143 likely statewide Republican primary voters with a margin of error of 8.4 percent.

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