# 2010 Hawaii gubernatorial election

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The 2010 Hawaii gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 2010, to elect the next governor and lieutenant governor of Hawaii. Incumbent Republican governor Linda Lingle was term-limited and not eligible to run for re-election. The Democratic Party nominated Neil Abercrombie, and the Republican Party nominated incumbent lieutenant governor Duke Aiona. In the election, Abercrombie won and was sworn in as the state's 7th governor on December 6, 2010. Aiona later unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Hawaii in 2014 and 2022.
As of 2024, this was the last time the Republican candidate for governor received over 40% of the vote in Hawaii.
This marked the first time since 1966 where both the governor and lieutenant governor of Hawaii were white and the first time both were born outside of Hawaii.

## Primary results
### Democratic

* Neil Abercrombie, former U.S. representative and candidate for U.S. Senate in 1970
* Mufi Hannemann, former Mayor of Honolulu, nominee for HI-01 in 1986, and candidate in 1990
* Arturo P. (Art) Reyes
* Miles Shiratori
* Van K. Tanabe
Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Neil Abercrombie | 142,234 | 59.3 |
| | Democratic | Mufi Hannemann | 90,535 | 37.7 |
| | Democratic | Arturo P. Reyes | 1,350 | 0.6 |
| | Democratic | Van K. Tanabe | 1,329 | 0.6 |
| | Democratic | Miles Shiratori | 1,031 | 0.4 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 236,479 | 100 |

#### Polling

| Poll source | Dates administered | Neil Abercrombie | Mufi Hannemann | Undecided |
| Honolulu Star-Advertiser | August 10–17, 2010 | 49% | 44% | 8% |
| Mason Dixon | January 8–12, 2010 | 37% | 34% | 29% |
| Research 2000 | June 15–17, 2009 | 42% | 22% | 36% |

### Republican

* Duke Aiona, Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii
* John Carroll, former state senator and representative
Republican primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Duke Aiona | 42,479 | 93.0 |
| | Republican | John S. Carroll | 2,075 | 4.5 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 44,554 | 100 |

### Non-partisan

* Tony Clapes
* Paul Manner
* Thomas (Tom) W. Pollard, critical care Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine
Non-partisan primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Tom Pollard | 265 | 20.3 |
| | Independent | Paul Manner | 188 | 14.4 |
| | Independent | Tony Clapes | 95 | 7.3 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 548 | 100 |

### Free Energy Party

* Daniel H. Cunningham

## Lieutenant governor primary

Eleven candidates ran for their political parties' nominations in the lieutenant governor primary election on September 18: seven Democrats, two Republicans, one independent, and one Free Energy Party candidate.

### Democratic Party

* Lyla Berg, 59, Hawaiian state representative first elected in 2004 to represent the Kāhala area; former teacher and principal
* Robert Bunda, 63, state legislator since 1983: state representative from 1983 until 1994 and senator from 1994 until 2010; president of the Hawaii Senate for five years. Resigned from office to run for lieutenant governor.
* Steve Hirakami, 64, principal of a charter school in Pahoa, on the Big Island of Hawai'i
* Gary Hooser, 56, former state senator from Kauai. Campaign based largely on support of civil unions.
* Jon Riki Karamatsu, 35, state legislator first elected in 2002 to represent the Waipahu area; chairman of the state House Judiciary Committee
* Norman Sakamoto, 63, sitting state senator first elected in 1996 to represent the Kalihi, Salt Lake, and Pearl Ridge neighborhoods of Honolulu; chairman of the state Senate Education and Housing Committee; opponent of civil unions
* Brian Schatz, 37, former state legislator and former chairman of the Hawaiian Democratic Party. Resident of Honolulu.
Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Brian Schatz | 83,431 | 34.8 |
| | Democratic | Robert Bunda | 45,973 | 19.2 |
| | Democratic | Norman Sakamoto | 44,462 | 18.5 |
| | Democratic | Gary Hooser | 22,878 | 9.5 |
| | Democratic | Lyla Berg | 20,161 | 8.4 |
| | Democratic | Jon Riki Karamatsu | 6,746 | 2.8 |
| | Democratic | Steve Hirakami | 2,695 | 1.1 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 226,346 | 100 |

### Republican Party

* Lynn Finnegan, 39, state legislator since 2002; Republican leader in the State House since 2005. Resident of Aiea, Hawaii.
* Adrienne King, 62, lawyer for more than thirty years. Resident of Honolulu, daughter-in-law to judge Samuel Pailthorpe King.
Republican primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Lynn Finnegan | 27,052 | 59.2 |
| | Republican | Adrienne King | 12,300 | 26.9 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 39,352 | 100 |

### Free Energy Party

* Deborah Spence, no age provided, campaigns for the revival of hemp, which she calls the "most utilitarian plant", for use as a cellulose and biofuel. Resident of Hilo.

### Independent

* Leonard Kama, 67, retired security guard and deckhand campaigning on education and a reduction of homelessness. Resident of Kapolei.

## General election
### Predictions

| Source | Ranking | As of |
| Cook Political Report | Lean D (flip) | October 14, 2010 |
| Rothenberg | Tilt D (flip) | October 28, 2010 |
| RealClearPolitics | Tossup | November 1, 2010 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball | Lean D (flip) | October 28, 2010 |
| CQ Politics | Likely D (flip) | October 28, 2010 |

### Polling

| Poll source | Dates administered | Neil Abercrombie (D) | Duke Aiona (R) |
| Public Policy Polling | October 2–3, 2010 | 49% | 47% |
| Honolulu Star-Advertiser | August 10–17, 2010 | 53% | 41% |
| Rasmussen Reports | June 24, 2010 | 58% | 32% |
| Rasmussen Reports | March 24, 2010 | 54% | 31% |
| Mason Dixon | January 8–12, 2010 | 43% | 34% |
| Research 2000 | June 15–17, 2009 | 45% | 36% |

### Candidates

* Neil Abercrombie (D)
** Abercrombie's running mate was former state Democratic Party chairman Brian Schatz
* Duke Aiona (R)
** Aiona's running mate was State Rep. Lynn Finnegan
* Daniel Cunningham (FE)
** Cunningham's running mate was Deborah Spence
* Tom Pollard (I)
** Pollard's running mate was Leonard Kama

### Results

Hawaii gubernatorial election, 2010 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Neil Abercrombie | 222,724 | 58.22% | +22.87 |
| | Republican | Duke Aiona | 157,311 | 41.12% | −21.41 |
| | Free Energy Party | Daniel Cunningham | 1,265 | 0.33% | N/A |
| | Independent politician | Tom Pollard | 1,263 | 0.33% | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 382,563 | | |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |

#### Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

* Hawaii (largest community: Hilo)
* Honolulu
* Kalawao (largest community: Kalaupapa)
* Kauai (largest community: Kapa'a)
* Maui (largest community: Kahului)