A Year Of Embarrassing Scandal May Help Hawaii Finally Reform Campaign Finance 0 Any changes would have to be approved by lawmakers, but Democrats running for governor say they are serious about the issue.

In the opening months of this election year, Hawaii voters witnessed the outrageous spectacle of two influential state lawmakers pleading guilty in a corruption scandal that seemed to confirm everyone’s worst suspicions about “pay to play” in local politics.

The convictions of former Senate Democratic Majority Leader J. Kalani English and Rep. Ty Cullen centered on their relationship with a prolific campaign contributor named Milton Choy, who has showered local political leaders with legal donations for years. In this case, Choy also paid cash bribes to English and Cullen to influence legislation, according to court records.

Anger at that sort of misconduct by elected officials historically has triggered backlash and reform, such as the federal reforms that followed the Watergate scandal in 1972. At least two Democratic candidates for governor think Hawaii may be at that kind of political pivot point.

FULL STORY

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Skip to toolbar