Veteran Bob McDermott wins 6-way GOP primary to face Mazie Hirono for Senate in deep-blue Hawaii

Former Hawaii state lawmaker Bob McDermott, a Marine Corps veteran, won the Republican Senate primary in Hawaii on Saturday, according to the Associated Press.

McDermott initially won his seat in the Hawaii House of Representatives by roughly 150 votes, according to his campaign website. He was the only candidate in the race promoted on the Senate GOP campaign arm's website.

Campaign finance data shows that McDermott raised just under $2,500 in individual contributions as of July and is going into the general election with about $10 cash on hand.

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Candidates running in the crowded six-way primary ran largely unpolished campaigns compared to the millions invested behind incumbent Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii.

Hirono is seeking a third term in the Senate, having first been elected in 2012. 

The Japan-born U.S. senator is the favorite to win Hawaii’s general election later this year. But her victory will be much welcomed among Democrats as they fight what could be an uphill battle to keep their razor-thin majority in the Senate.

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Her 2024 campaign brought in more than $3 million in individual donations, according to campaign finance data. She's going into the general election with more than $2.3 million cash on hand.

Hirono was the lieutenant governor of Hawaii before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where she served three terms prior to her 2012 run for Senate.

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Hawaii’s congressional delegation, two senators and two House members, is fully Democratic.

The state’s governor’s office and both houses of its legislature are also controlled by Democrats.