Gov. Neil Abercrombie
Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie lost the Democratic primary in a 2-to-1 landslide in his bid for re-election, and he says the loss was due to his support for marriage equality.
Despite that loss, Abercrombie said he wouldn’t do anything differently.
“There’s no way I could live with myself if I thought I was diminishing another human’s ability to reach their full capacity,” he said.
After his election, Abercrombie tried to pass marriage equality in the first regular session of the legislature. When the bill was held up in committee, the governor called a special session to consider the issue.
Marriage equality passed in November 2013 and became law in December. Abercrombie attended the first weddings performed in the state.
Most analysts attribute the loss to Hawaii allowing crossover voting. Republicans who voted in the Democratic primary voted for the governor’s opponent, who would be easier to beat in the general election in November.
The head of the state’s Republican Party dismissed that analysis, saying there aren’t enough Republicans in the state to make that kind of difference.
