Republican candidate for lieutenant governor says her running mate should apologize

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Andria Tupola's running mate says the Republican candidate for governor should apologize for her record in the state Legislature.

The winner of the primary to run as her lieutenant governor —Marissa Kerns — is urging Tupola to say she's sorry about voting with the Democratic majority on some issues. As House Minority leader, Tupola was frequently criticized by conservative Republicans for her voting record.

"I told her ... during those days, yeah, you voted with them," Kerns said. "I recommend to her go talk to ... our voters, let them know, 'I voted that way. Unfortunately, I have to apologize.'"

She added, "I know we can fix Hawaii, between me and her."

Kerns got about 9,700 votes in Saturday's primary election, beating candidate Steve Lipscolm by less than 200 votes.

On Hawaii News Now on Monday, Tupola said she'd work with her Republican running mate.

"This really has to be a merging of ideas and unifying our thoughts so that people can see the same message everywhere we go," she said.

Kerns is a Kapolei resident and a naturalized citizen, with two adult children in college. She's a small business owner, and previously ran for the state House and Congress.