...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM HST FRIDAY...
* WHAT...East winds 15 to 25 kt with gusts up to 35 kt and seas
6 to 9 feet.
* WHERE...Oahu Windward Waters, Oahu Leeward Waters, Kaiwi
Channel, Maui County Windward Waters, Maui County Leeward
Waters, Maalaea Bay, Big Island Leeward Waters and Big Island
Southeast Waters.
* WHEN...Until 6 AM HST Friday.
* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller
vessels, should avoid navigating in these conditions.
&&
HONOLULU (KITV4) -- The race for Hawaii's 1st Congressional District is heating up, and it's also become a part of a greater ideological battle over the future of the Democratic Party.
Sergio Alcubilla, who came to the U.S. from the Philippines as a child and later became a lawyer for the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, decided to challenge U.S. Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawaii) for the 1st District seat after Case expressed opposition to part of the Build Back Better bill supported by the Biden administration.
"That bill, if it would have passed it would have made childcare more affordable, it would have provided universal Pre-K, it could have provided paid parental leave, it could have provided free community college for the first two years so those are things that could have substantially helped people in Hawaii," Alcubilla says.
Alcubilla represents the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, supporting Medicare for All and the Green New Deal.
In contrast, Rep. Case is the co-chair the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate and conservative Democrats in Congress, who are more fiscally conservative. Case says he also supports Democratic priorities like healthcare, education, and protecting women's rights, but differs in his approach when it comes to funding government programs.
"You do it in a way that you don't cripple the next generations with overwhelming debt and I believe people in Hawaii regardless of whether they're Rs or Ds or I's or no party, believe in some fiscal responsibility," Case says.
Another difference is Case has been a longtime critic of the Jones Act, the law regulating shipping to Hawaii, which Case argues is antiquated and is keeping our prices on goods in Hawaii high. Alcubilla meanwhile supports the Jones Act, because he says it protects union jobs in the shipping industry for American workers.
But beyond differences in policies, Case's main pitch to voters is that his experience on Capitol Hill is asset, especially for a small state like Hawaii. He says building seniority in Hawaii's congressional delegation will be important, especially with Rep. Kai Kahele leaving the state's other U.S. House seat open after this election. Case says that seniority is also important for tackling issues like the defueling of Red Hill.
"I think these are difficult times for our country, and our Hawaii I think that our Congressional delegation here needs to have some seniority, some stability, experience knowledge, relationships, I offer all of those things, that's what I've been doing for the past 4 years on Capitol Hill," Case says.
But Alcubulla argues his background and working class roots are the kind of experience the really resonates with people in Hawaii.
"If you're just another wealthy millionaire, it's hard to really understand what people are going through. You can see it, and read about it, but unless you've lived it and worked directly with it, from my own upbringing in the community it's hard to fight for those things unless you really know what people are going through.," Alcubilla says.
Case is still considered the strong favorite in the primary race, but Alcubilla did pick up the key endorsement of the Hawaii States Teachers Association (HSTA), which actually switched its endorsement from Case to Alcubilla over Case's stance on Build Back Better. Case meanwhile says he stands by his record on education, and cited an A rating from HSTA's national union counterpart.
The winner of the Case vs. Alcubilla Democratic primary will face one of three Republican candidates (Conrad Kress, Patrick Largey, or Arturo Reyes) in November.
The seat is considered strongly Democratic, with President Biden winning the district with 64% of the vote in 2020. The last Republican to represent the seat was Charles Djou, who briefly served from 2010-2011 before losing re-election to Colleen Hanabusa.
Case was first elected to the seat in 2018, and previously represented the state's other congressional seat from 2002-2007. He was re-elected in 2020 with 72% of the vote over Republican Ron Curtis.
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