From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi is an arm of the Democratic Party of the United States in Washington, DC. Based in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, the party is a central organization established for the promotion of the party platform as it is drafted in convention every other year. It is also charged with registering voters and delivering voter turnout through four major county organizations for Hawaiʻi, Kauaʻi, Maui and the City & County of Honolulu. The Hawaiʻi Democratic Party ruled Hawaiʻi for over forty years, maintaining a stronghold of power with little elected opposition in the governorship and the Hawaiʻi State Legislature from 1962 to 2002.

Governor John A. Burns is often called the "Father of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi", having overseen its modern development and setting precedents still honored today. He is credited for building the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi into an effective political machine that has ruled the islands for over forty years with little elected opposition.

The Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi was first organized during the early years of the Territory of Hawaiʻi. At that time, an oligarchy of powerful sugar corporations called the Big Five effectively controlled government in the Hawaiian Islands. The oligarchy of Castle & Cooke, Alexander & Baldwin, C. Brewer & Co., Amfac, and Theo H. Davies & Co. worked blatantly in favor of the Hawaiʻi Republican Party, crediting it for the successful overthrow of the monarchy and delivery of annexation which in turn drove sugar profits into the hundreds of millions of dollars. The 1932 Massie-Kahahawai Case was also a seminal event that fortified the political will of Territorial citizens against the administration of a Republican governor, who commuted the sentence of socialite Grace Fortescue, convicted of manslaughter in the death of Joseph Kahahawai to one-hour of exchanging pleasantries in his executive chambers. Honolulu Police Department officer John A. Burns began organizing the plantation laborers, especially the Japanese Americans and Filipino Americans he came to know while on his police beats. He believed that grassroots organizing and the power of elections could overturn the corruption and unfairness of the Republicans in power. The party got its biggest boost when Burns successfully influenced Japanese American veterans who fought in World War II to get involved. Burns' efforts culminated in his election to the governorship after attaining statehood, heralding a forty year era of Democratic rule in Hawaiʻi.

• Hawaiʻi Republican Party

• Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi
• HONOLULU Magazine - 9 Ways to Save the Democratic Party ~ October 2006

This Hawai'i-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.