Aloha: A Republican pick-up in Hawaii?

H/T Libertarian Republican

Honolulu City Councilman Charles Djou has announced his run for one of the two Hawaii Congressional seats, currently held by Neal Abercombrie. LR friend Moe Lane over at RedState.com is reporting that the seat is likely to become open, as Abercombrie considers a run for Governor.

Further Lane reports that Djou already has the endorsement of GOP Gov. Linda Lingle, and that fundraising is going well. Djou (Zhou in Chinese) is a Chinese-American, and active member of the Hawaii Chinese Republican Coalition. He's the former State Vice-Chair of the GOP. And he serves as a Captain in the US Army Reserve. Djou's agenda is simple: keeping taxes low to spur economic growth and greater job opportunities.

From Djou's campaign website:

Charles believes that every resident of Hawai‘i who is looking for a job should be able to find one. Charles has always made it a priority to lower taxes because reducing the tax burden allows you to keep more of your money for your family, to grow your business and to buy goods and services, which in turn fosters small business and job growth in our community.

That is why Charles has never voted for a tax increase. You are a better steward of your money and can do more for the economy than the government. Charles will continue this long standing fight in Washington.On defense matters, Djou is an advocate of a strong military, and backer of Hawaii's numerous military bases. Further, he "understands that we must combat terrorism wherever it is found, whether in Iran, the Pakistan-Afghanistan border regions or in industrialized cities around the world."

To make a contribution or get involved: http://www.djou.com/

HHR NOTE: If Charles Djou wins this will not be a first for the GOP electing strong candidates from Hawaii. Below are just a list of some of the many successful Asian American Republicans to hold office from that State.

Lt. Governor James Kealoha was selected in 1959 by the Republican Party as its candidate for lieutenant governor in the state of Hawaii’s first gubernatorial election, running alongside William F. Quinn, the party’s candidate for governor. The pairing worked well, as Quinn and Kealoha successfully defeated their Democratic opponents John Burns and Mitsuyuki Kido. Kealoha was the first Chinese American and Native Hawaiian to be elected lieutenant governor in the United States.

Hiram Leong Fong is most notable for his service as Republican United States Senator from 1959 to 1977, and for being the first Asian American and Chinese American to be elected as such. In 1964, Fong became the first Asian American to run for his party's nomination for President of the United States. As of 2008, he is the only Republican to ever hold a Senate seat from Hawaii and the only Asian American to actively seek the Presidential nomination of the Republican Party. He would be followed by Patsy Mink, also from Hawaii, who sought the nomination of the Democratic Party in 1972.

Herbert Young Cho Choy (January 6, 1916–March 10, 2004) was the first Asian American to serve as a United States federal judge and the first person of Korean ancestry to be admitted to the bar in the United States.immigrants who worked in Hawaii's sugar plantations. Choy received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Hawaii in 1938 and his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1941. He was the first person of Korean ancestry to be admitted to practice law in the United States. From 1957 to 1958, Choy served as Attorney General for the Territory of Hawaii. In 1971, at the urging of Senator Fong, President Richard Nixon appointed Choy to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. At the time of Choy's appointment, there were no Asian Americans serving anywhere on the federal bench. Choy was the first individual from Hawai'i ever appointed to the court.