The Huffington Post reports that President Obama has endorsed Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz in the hotly contested Democratic primary with Colleen Hanabusa (pictured).
Hanabusa had been the late Senator Daniel Inouye’s choice to replace him when he died, but Governor Neil Abercrombie appointed Schatz instead.
It’s rare for a president to get involved in a primary race among Democrats. Obama also had a close personal relationship with Inouye and attended services for the late Senator in both Washington DC and Hawaii.
Not long after Obama made his endorsement official, Senate Majority leader Harry Reid also endorsed Schatz.
Obama’s endorsement of Schatz, perhaps shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, since Hanabusa and Inouye were both early supporters of Hillary Clinton in her presidential run in 2008 against Obama. Schatz, on the other hand, backed Obama.
It’ll be interesting to see what impact the President’s endorsement will have on the race which is said to be right now a dead heat.
