Schatz leads Hanabusa in Hawaii Senate primary homestretch

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) has continued to maintain his lead over Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D-Hawaii) with eight days until their Senate primary, according to a new poll from the Honolulu Civil Beat.

{mosads}Schatz leads Hanabusa by 49 percent to 41 percent in the live-caller poll, the latest recent survey that has found him ahead.

The senator, appointed less than two years ago, has flexed his D.C. ties to raise huge sums for the race and has outspent Hanabusa by a wide margin in the race, going on TV early on with positive spots.

Those efforts seem to have worked, and he’s maintained his front-runner status heading into next Saturday’s primary.

The live-caller poll of 895 likely Democratic primary voters, using landlines and cell phones, was conducted from July 24-28 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percent.