GOP Geography: In Hawaii, Support For Republicans Has Grown In Ewa And Kona 2 The Aug. 13 primary saw Republican turnout rise significantly, especially in rural areas.
Support for Republican candidates in Hawaii is still highest on Oahu’s North Shore, west side and in Ewa.
But support is also growing in parts of Central Oahu, as well as in Kona and in East Hawaii. In fact, the share of voters who are self identifying as Republicans was up in all corners of the state, according to a Civil Beat analysis of election results by precinct.
Those voters made up 22% of the more than 330,000 voters who cast ballots this election season. The GOP hasn’t seen that level of participation since the early 2000s.
“I think a lot of the increase in turnout was because of what people see on a national level, and they are just upset with it,” Brett Kulbis, the GOP’s Honolulu chair, said. He listed concerns like public schools and government handling of the pandemic.
