Don Young, GOP congressman, slammed for endorsing Democratic candidate (VIDEO)
Alaska Republican Rep. Don Young endorses Hawaii Democratic Rep. Mazie Hirono in a campaign ad.
A Republican congressman from Alaska has endorsed a Democratic colleague in the race for US Senator of Hawaii, and the GOP candidate for the job is not happy about it.
Former Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle, the Republican running for the seat currently held by Democratic Sen. Daniel Akaka, who’s not seeking reelection, has attacked Alaska Rep. Don Young for endorsing Hawaii Democratic Rep. Mazie Hirono, CBS News reported.
Young appeared in a Hirono campaign ad released this week where he touts their success working together and even gives her a hug. Young says in the ad: "If you're looking for a United States senator who doesn't just talk about bipartisanship but actually knows how to work with both Republicans and Democrats to get things done, Mazie Hirono will be that senator.”
Hirono is hoping to beat Congressman Ed Case in the August Democratic primary so she can run against Lingle in November, McClatchy Newspapers reported.
"It should be troubling to the people of Hawaii that Mazie Hirono's first attempt to convey any example of bipartisanship is a video advertisement with one of the House of Representatives's most controversial members, who even Mazie's fellow Democrats have criticized on a range of ethics and spending issues," Lingle's campaign manager Bob Lee said in a statement released to media, according to CBS News. "This is not the leadership Hawaii needs."
Young has been investigated by the House Ethics Committee over campaign donations and by the Justice Department over political corruption charges, although neither investigation proved wrongdoing, CBS News reported.
Bipartisan camaraderie between politicians from Alaska and Hawaii is a bit of a tradition, McClatchy Newpapers reported. According to McClatchy Newspapers:
Then-Alaska Republican Sen. Ted Stevens and Hawaii Democratic Sen. Daniel Inouye called each other "brother" and worked together on the Senate Appropriations Committee to steer federal money to their states.
When asked about Lingle's criticism, Young’s office denied he had endorsed her for US Senator for Hawaii, McClatchy Newspapers reported.
"First and foremost, the endorsement of Rep. Hirono was for just the primary election,” the office said in a statement. “Congressman Young has not made an endorsement in the general election and has no plans to do so.”
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