Democratic Party of Hawaii

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Democratic Party of Hawaii




Party Chairman	Jeani Withington
Senate Leader	Colleen Hanabusa

Headquarters	Honolulu, Hawaii

Political ideology	American Liberalism Progressivism Center-left
Political position
National affiliation	Democratic Party
Color(s)	Blue

Web Site	HawaiiDemocrats.org

The Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi is an arm of the Democratic Party of the United States. Based in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, the party is a central organization established for the promotion of the party platform as it is drafted in convention every other year. It is also charged with registering voters and delivering voter turnout through four major county organizations for Hawaiʻi, Kauaʻi, Maui and the City & County of Honolulu. The Hawaiʻi Democratic Party ruled Hawaiʻi for over forty years, from 1962 to 2002.

[edit] Early years

Governor John A. Burns is often called the "Father of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi", having overseen its modern development and setting precedents still honored today. He is credited for building the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi into an effective political machine that has ruled the islands for over forty years with little elected opposition.

The Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi was first organized during the early years of the Territory of Hawaiʻi. At that time, an oligarchy of powerful sugar corporations called the Big Five effectively controlled government in the Hawaiian Islands. The oligarchy of Castle & Cooke, Alexander & Baldwin, C. Brewer & Co., Amfac, and Theo H. Davies & Co. worked in favor of the Hawaiʻi Republican Party, crediting it for the successful overthrow of the monarchy and delivery of annexation which in turn drove sugar profits into the hundreds of millions of dollars. The 1932 Massie-Kahahawai Case was also a seminal event that fortified the political will of Territorial citizens against the administration of a Republican governor, who commuted the sentence of socialite Grace Fortescue, convicted of manslaughter in the death of Joseph Kahahawai to one-hour of exchanging pleasantries in his executive chambers. Honolulu Police Department officer John A. Burns began organizing the plantation laborers, especially the Japanese Americans and Filipino Americans he came to know while on his police beats. He believed that grassroots organizing and the power of elections could overturn the corruption and unfairness of the Republicans in power. The party got its biggest boost when Burns successfully influenced Japanese American veterans who fought in World War II to get involved. Burns' efforts culminated in his election to the governorship after attaining statehood, heralding a forty year era of Democratic rule in Hawaiʻi.