It’s a busy local election season and there’s a lot to report. Here’s a few political tidbits that surfaced this past week:

• U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa continues to proclaim her opposition to renewed U.S. military involvement in Iraq. Her campaign is running ads and the candidate herself recently penned this op-ed.
• The Kauai Chamber of Commerce welcomes Hanabusa and U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz to the War Memorial Convention Hall Tuesday at 6 p.m. for the Senate candidates’ first joint forum. The two will be in Hilo Wednesday night for a forum sponsored by the Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce.
• Gov. Neil Abercrombie is “of course” endorsing Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui of Maui to retain the No. 2 post, the governor said yesterday at a Maui Chamber of Commerce forum.
• Hawaii House Speaker Joe Souki has endorsed Abercrombie and Tsutsui for re-election.
• Congressmen Mike Honda (D-CA) and Mark Takano (D-CA) have announced their endorsement of Mark Takai, who is running for Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District.
• One of Takai’s CD1 opponents, Ikaika Anderson, has criticized Takai for being “out of touch” on problems  at the Spark Matsunaga Veterans Clinic. Takai was interviewed about the veterans’ crisis this week.
• The Hawaii Family Forum, the Hawaii Catholic Conference and others are sponsoring a “Stand Up for Religious Freedom” faith-based community rally at the Hawaii State Capitol today beginning at 1 p.m.
• ThinkTech Hawaii will present a public forum on Kakaako development Tuesday at 5 p.m. at the Capitol auditorium “in order to give the principal candidates for governor and lieutenant governor an opportunity to express their views on the subject.” So far, only Democrat David Ige and Libertarian Jeff Davis have indicated they will participate.
• Ige and Abercrombie are set to appear on PBS Hawaii’s “Insights” Thursday at 8 p.m., with Mahealani Richardson moderating. PBS has recently beefed up security at its Dole Street facility, as some “Insights” programs have drawn protesters.
• Ige had a campaign fundraiser Friday where he asked for $50 contributions, while lieutenant governor hopeful Clayton Hee had a fundraiser Thursday where he asked for $500 contributions.
• The Kauai Chamber of Commerce wants to quadruple the number of signatures required to put a proposed amendment to the Kauai County Charter to a public vote. It’s organizing a petition drive to do that.
• Republican lieutenant governor Kimo Sutton wants to disconnect the Hawaii Health Connector. Hawaii, he said, should ask the federal government for an exemption to the part of the Affordable Care Act that requires states to run their own insurance exchanges.

Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui, House Speaker Joe Souki and Gov. Neil Abercrombie, June 2014.

Abercrombie for Governor