Hanabusa concedes in Hawaii Senate race

Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D-Hawaii) has conceded her primary to Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii).

Hanabusa decided not to contest election results from Friday that found Schatz up by 1,769 votes, despite complaints about how the election was run.

“Though I will not be challenging the results of this election, I remain very concerned about the public’s confidence and trust in our election process,” Hanabusa said in a statement to Hawaii papers released late on Tuesday. “I ask former colleagues and friends in the Hawaii State Legislature to explore what is necessary to ensure the people that their vote truly counts.”

{mosads}Hanabusa narrowly trailed Schatz following their Aug. 9 primary, voting was delayed in two precincts that had been hit hard by Hurricane Iselle. A judge ruled that voting would go forward the Friday after the primary, over Hanabusa’s objections, and after the ballots were counted and 800 misplaced votes were added in, Schatz’s lead increased slightly.

The final tally was enough for The Associated Press to call the race for Schatz, but it was unclear until now whether Hanabusa would either take the results to court or push for a recount.

Schatz cheered Hanabusa’s decision.

“I want to congratulate Congresswoman Hanabusa on waging a spirited and tough battle. Now it is time for us to unite as we move forward to the general election,” he said in a Tuesday evening statement. “I thank the voters for placing their trust and confidence in me. I will never lose sight of the fact that I am only able to do my work representing the people of Hawaii because of the voters’ support.”​