Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) has endorsed Rep. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) in her Senate bid, a surprising move since the seat could be in play for Republicans this fall.
Young praises Hirono for working across the aisle in the lighthearted Web ad, in which he repeatedly jokes about criticizing House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) before hugging Hirono at the end.
"While Mazie and I don't see eye to eye on everything, we've done something too many people in Washington refuse to cross the aisle and do: We've worked together," Young said in the ad, and praises Hirono for working with him to protect funding for education programs for native Alaskans and Hawaiians. "If you're looking for a United States senator who doesn't just talk about bipartisanship but actually knows how to work with Republicans and Democrats to get things done, Mazie Hirono will be that senator."
Hirono will face off against former Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawaii) in the state's Aug. 11 primary. Case, a former member of the centrist Blue Dog Democratic Coalition, has argued he'd be the more electable candidate because of his bipartisan credentials, an argument this endorsement undercuts.
Hirono has the backing of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and is favored in the primary. The winner will face former Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle (R) in the fall in a race that leans Democratic.
