HNN political analyst points out most effective campaign ads

EAST HONOLULU, OAHU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hawaii News Now political analyst Colin Moore came onto the set of Sunrise to talk about the upcoming primary election. First up, he tackled the huge shifts in poll numbers we have seen recently. The Star Advertiser had two polls, one in March and another in July. Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa, who is running on the democratic ticket for governor initially had a 20 point lead over incumbent Governor David Ige. But in the 4 months that followed, that flipped and the governor now has a slight lead of about 4 points.

Moore said that he's never seen a reversal like this. That's a remarkable turnaround, he said. Moore believe it's due to voters forgiving the governor for the false missile alert fiasco that happened in January. Also, Moore thinks that Hanabusa has run a bad campaign so far by not establishing a strong narrative to entice voters. Her absence because of her commitments as a congresswoman has also kept her in Washington, D.C. and out of Hawaii, apart from voters. Those are the reasons for the turnaround according to Moore.

With the ramping up of campaign commercials, Moore pointed out 3 that he thought were effective for different reasons. The one that criticized the governor's response to the false missile alert is at the top of that list. The PAC "Be Change Now" paid for the commercial which outlined his failures including the fact that he forgot his twitter password in the minutes following the alert. That meant 38 minutes when the public thought the state would be bombed by North Korea. Moore said it's an effective reminder of one of Ige's lowest points.

The second commercial is one that was paid for by Governor Ige's campaign. Moore believes that the use of Hawaii Island Mayor Harry Kim is a good way to woo neighbor island voters because this was one crisis when the governor responded strongly.

And the congressional campaign ad from Ed Case is a simple commercial showing the candidate talking to the audience. Moore said that the simplicity is what makes it effective because Case is showing that he doesn't need the flash. He reminds voters that he has already been a congressman, that he's still a statesman and is ready to do battle for Hawaii.

As for Vice President Pence being in Hawaii for the Honor Carry Ceremony, Moore said this is a big win for President Trump. With North Korea returning what is believed to be the remains of 55 American Service members who were killed in the Korean War, it is fulfilling a promise made at the Trump-Kim summit in June. While the president has seen a series of diplomatic failures throughout his term, this is a success said Moore.

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