JAMM AQUINO / [email protected]
Sheila Medeiros, front left, candidate for state House District 43, Bob McDermott, top, candidate for state Senate District 40, Hunter Harris, second from right, and Liz Amadeo embrace upon hearing the results of a tie-breaker drawing by the Office of Elections at the State Capitol today. Medeiros and McDermott beat the incumbents in the GOP primary election tie-breakers.
A random drawing unseated two Republican incumbents in Hawaii’s Legislature today after they tied challengers in the Aug. 8 primary election.
Sen. Kurt Fevella (R, Ewa Beach-Ocean Pointe-Iroquois Point) and Rep. Kanani Souza (R, Kapolei-Makakilo) lost the election after the names of their respective challengers, Bob McDermott and Sheila Medeiros, were picked by chance in a drawing held by state Office of Elections personnel.
The drawing was held in an auditorium in the basement of the state Capitol.
The contests for the two Leeward Oahu legislative seats were the closest races in the primary election, and when all valid ballots had been counted on Sunday, Fevella was trailing McDermott with a vote count of 1,204 to 1,211 while Souza led Medeiros with 841 votes to 840.
Following a recount that found nothing to be corrected, ties resulted on Friday in both races after voters who cast ballots that didn’t satisfy a ballot envelope signature requirement were given five days to correct deficiencies as required by state law.
McDermott will advance the general election for Senate District 20 to face a challenger from the Democratic Party, Markus Owens, a real estate broker and former Hawaii sports television broadcaster who played baseball for the University of Hawaii.
Don’t miss out on what’s happening!
Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It’s FREE!
Medeiros has won the seat for House District 43 because no one representing another political party competed this year for House District 43.