Harris Takes Obama’s Home State Hawaii, Continuing Decades-Long Democratic Streak

Former US President Barack Obama helped secure a win for Kamala Harris in his home state of Hawaii, marking the tenth consecutive presidential election in which the state has chosen the Democratic candidate. The Associated Press declared Harris the winner in Hawaii at midnight EST.

Hawaii, a reliably blue state, last supported a Republican for president in 1984, when Ronald Reagan won his second term. Democrats have maintained a stronghold over the state, holding all statewide elected offices and Hawaii's two U.S. House seats, while also controlling more than three-quarters of the seats in both chambers of the state legislature.

As an island state located approximately 2,000 miles southwest of the mainland, Hawaii is unique as the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands with a tropical climate. Its population is highly diverse, with a significant representation of ethnic backgrounds: around 37 percent of the electorate identifies as Asian, 25 percent as White, 10 percent as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and 28 percent as Hispanic or other ethnicities.

Hawaii has the distinction of being the birthplace of Barack Obama, who was born in Honolulu on August 4, 1961. Obama served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017, becoming the first African American to hold the nation's highest office. Obama has frequently shared how his Hawaiian roots influenced his outlook, citing the island's diverse community and cultural values as integral to his worldview.