Sen. Daniel Inouye isn’t publicly picking favorites in the 2nd Congressional District race just yet. The senator called both former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann and Honolulu City Council member Tulsi Gabbard “first-class candidates.”

“I think the people of Hawaii are fortunate,” Inouye told DC808 in an interview on Capitol Hill Monday evening. “They have good people to select from, and you know you can’t say that for all districts in the United States. Some of the candidates there, you wonder where they came out from. But Tulsi is first-class. Mufi is first-class. I’m glad they stepped forward and offered their services.”

Also running as Democrats in the CD2 race are Bob Marx, Esther Kiaaina and Rafael Del Castillo.