For Immediate Release: New political action committee plays major role in Conservative races
Nov 10th, 2022. Honolulu, HI
The results are final: Conservative candidates win key victories in targeted races.
Hawaiʻi Conservatives, a new Super PAC, invested heavily into its endorsed races, crafting videos and ads that reached thousands of voters in each targeted district. Many voters were reached multiple times through texting and digital campaigns.
Tim Dalhouse, Chairman of Hawaiʻi Conservatives, is ecstatic about the gains made by endorsed candidates, “Our candidates ran solid campaigns and were rewarded with solid results.” Dalhouse congratulates endorsed candidates, saying, “You did what you needed to do.”
Joel Borgquist, Hawaiʻi Conservatives’ CEO, echoes Dalhouse’s enthusiasm: “We made a huge impact. We had the right focus and put the resources where they needed to go. Every campaign we invested in outperformed the field, even in their losses.”
Hawaiʻi Conservatives is running a program for candidates who did not make it in 2022, called ‘Hana Hou.’ It’s specifically designed to encourage and prepare repeat candidates for a successful run in 2024.
Borgquist explained to supporters that he’ll spend the next few weeks assessing the results, and then, “We’re on to 2024!
In the Legislature, Rep. Lauren Cheape Matsumoto won her race decisively, despite redistricting, where only 12% of her original district remained. Democrats’ efforts to unseat Rep. Matsumoto fell very short, as she won every precinct, running on a message to serve the community and get things done on cost of living and education. Hawaiʻi Conservatives ran district-wide ads in support of Matsumoto, driving her name recognition in new precincts.
Diamond Garcia will be joining Rep. Matsumoto in the House, winning his seat in Kapolei against incumbent Sharon Har, who struggled to gain traction in the face of Garcia’s surging campaign. Hawaiʻi Conservatives ran a robust ad campaign in support of Garcia and against his opponent. This was Garcia’s second race, after narrowly losing in 2020 in a neighboring district. He returned and won this time, with the full backing of Hawaiʻi Conservatives.
David Alcos is another winner on his second campaign. He was in a tough race against incumbent Matt LoPresti but was able to unseat him through hard work and lessons learned from his first race. Hawaiʻi Conservatives ran an extensive ad campaign in support of Alcos, also running damaging ads against LoPresti, highlighting his second DUI arrest and interactions with the police.
Elijah Pierick won his race decisively, even as a newcomer to politics. He sought candidate training and put in the work, following through on his plan to get his message out to voters. Hawaiʻi Conservatives worked hard to build his name recognition through a district-wide texting campaign.
Other Conservative winners are Kanani Souza in the State House and Brenton Awa in the State Senate. Both ran robust and independent campaigns, not seeking endorsements or outside support. They will offer distinct Conservative voices in the Legislature and have the full support of Hawaiʻi Conservatives.
Josh Green and his backers outspent Duke Aiona by millions of dollars. Yet, despite their big spending, they failed to motivate voters to turn out. Voter turnout was historically low. Enthusiasm for Democrats has fallen to significant lows in the midst of an economic downturn and rising crime, with many voters expressing that promises have not been kept.
Dalhouse emphasized that, “Cost of living, crime, homelessness, housing, jobs, and education are the things that matter to most voters – and our Conservative message resonates with them.”
Hawaiʻi Conservatives’ investment into Duke Aiona’s campaign for Governor did not yield the final result they were looking for. Borgquist explained that “We’re analyzing the results. We did a lot of things well, but we’ll need a new strategy to win statewide/federal races in 2024 and 2026. We got into this race late; now we’ll have two and four years to get things right.”
Hawaiʻi Conservatives extends a special thank you to its endorsees who didn’t make it: Duke Aiona and Seaula Jr. Tupaʻi, Sam King, Dr. Helen Tupaʻi, Sheila Walker, Leilani Soon, Blake Boyd, Shekinah Cantere, Dan Johnson, Theresa "Kinsey" Texeira, Jillian Anderson, Vea Lautaha, Janie Gueso, Tiana Wilbur, and Kathy Thurston. Each candidate was endorsed for their Conservative values and how they ran their campaigns – several coming within just 1-3 percentage points of victory.
Borgquist explained to candidates, “We endorsed you because we believe in you. Please stay involved and run again! Hawaiʻi Conservatives will continue to support you in your political endeavors."
Hawaiʻi Conservatives’ focus is now shifting to policy and its 2024 political strategy, intent on being a mainstay of Hawaiʻi politics.
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