Posted on: Thursday, February 26, 2004

Kerry won 49 percent of votes from Hawai'i Democrats

Advertiser Staff

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry garnered 49 percent of Hawai'i Democrats' votes in Tuesday night's presidential preference poll, according to updated preliminary results released yesterday.

With two out of 51 districts still outstanding, the Hawai'i Democratic Party announced Massachusetts Sen. Kerry received 1,986 votes. Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich won second place with 1,112 votes, or 27 percent.

According to the preliminary results of the poll — open only to card-carrying members of the Hawai'i Democratic Party — Kerry is projected to receive 12 of Hawai'i's 20 pledged delegate votes in the Democratic National Convention in Boston this summer. Kucinich is projected to receive the remaining eight votes.

North Carolina Sen. John Edwards got 13 percent, and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who has dropped out of the race, won 9 percent.

Democratic Party of Hawai'i chairman Alex Santiago said party officials need to verify voters in the poll and will certify results in a couple of weeks.