HONOLULU — Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie was unseated in a stunning primary-election defeat Saturday after a fellow Democrat, state Sen. David Ige, easily coasted to victory on his promise to bring a less combative leadership style in a race that divided Democrats.
Abercrombie, who has spent nearly 40 years in Hawaii politics, is the first Hawaii governor to lose to a primary challenger and only the second not to win re-election. His defeat comes after President Obama last month urged residents of his native state to back Abercrombie, invoking the Hawaiian word for family in a radio ad, saying Abercrombie is “like ohana to me.”
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