The 2016 Presidential Election in Hawaii


The Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, faced off against the Republican nominee, Donald Trump. Clinton, with her running mate Tim Kaine, won the state with 62.88% of the vote. This was her highest percentage of votes in any state, although it marked a decrease from Barack Obama's 70.55% in 2012. Trump, alongside his running mate Mike Pence, garnered 30.36% of the vote, surpassing Mitt Romney's performance in 2012 by 3%.



Hawaii was one of the two states where Clinton won every county, the other being Massachusetts. Interestingly, it was also Green Party nominee Jill Stein's strongest performance, with her receiving 3% of the vote. While Clinton won the majority of the sizable Asian population, exit polls indicated that Trump performed better among whites, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, particularly in areas with a significant military presence.


A notable event in the 2016 election was the presence of a faithless elector who cast a vote for Bernie Sanders for president and Elizabeth Warren for vice president, despite all of Hawaii's electoral votes being pledged to the Clinton/Kaine ticket.


The 2020 Presidential Election in Hawaii


The 2020 presidential election in Hawaii, held on November 3, saw an increased voter turnout compared to 2016, reflecting a national trend of higher early voting. Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, and his running mate Kamala Harris, won Hawaii with 63.7% of the vote, a 29.5% margin over Trump, who earned 34.3%.



Both major parties improved their performance from 2016. Biden's vote share was slightly higher than Clinton's 62.9%, and Trump improved his vote share to 34.3% from 30.3% in 2016. However, Biden's margin of victory was smaller than Clinton's 32.5%. Hawaii was one of three states where Biden won every county, alongside Massachusetts and Rhode Island. This marked the eighth consecutive election where the Democratic nominee carried every county in Hawaii.


According to exit polls by the Associated Press, Biden had broad support across different ethnic groups in Hawaii, with 63% of whites and 66% of Asians voting for him. Japanese Americans, a significant demographic in Hawaii, are among the most Democratic constituencies. However, Trump made gains among Filipino Americans in the state. Notably, Hawaii was the only state with a majority-minority electorate in 2020, with whites comprising only 29% of the electorate.


The 2024 Presidential Election in Hawaii


The upcoming 2024 presidential election in Hawaii is scheduled for November 5. Hawaii will once again choose electors to represent them in the Electoral College. The state, retaining its four electoral votes following the 2020 census, is expected to remain a stronghold for the Democratic Party.


Incumbent Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris is seeking election. Additionally, attorney Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has gathered enough signatures to appear on the ballot. Given Hawaii's deeply blue political landscape, the Democratic Party is anticipated to maintain its dominance. The only times Hawaii voted Republican in presidential elections were in 1972 and 1984, both times in landslide victories where the winner carried 49 states.