“The people deserve the opportunity to hear us, side by side, in order to make an informed decision about who they want representing Hawaii in the U.S. Senate,” Hanabusa said in a press release. “The recent impasse over the budget and the debt ceiling remind us of the partisan divide that is extinguishing the people’s faith in government.”

A campaign spokesperson for Schatz release this statement in response: “Senator Schatz is focused on his work in the Senate to build the middle class and a clean energy future for the people of Hawaii. When the time comes he looks forward to participating in forums and debates across the state, and we look forward to working out details that promote a vigorous exchange of ideas while prioritizing his responsibilities to the people of Hawaii as their U.S. Senator.”

Earlier this week, the Hanabusa campaign emailed supporters a request for donations. It included this observation: “A new Civil Beat poll shows our race is virtually tied, 38-36, with a little more than eight months to go before the start of early voting.”

Photo: A Twitter pic from Colleen Hanabusa. (pic.twitter.com)

—Chad Blair