Inouye's Last Wish Is Abercrombie's Biggest Burden

Brian Tseng for Civil Beat

Let’s talk about "the letter."

The day Daniel K. Inouye died, the U.S. senator sent a note to Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie.

Appoint U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa to my seat, Inouye wrote. “I hope you will grant me my last wish.”

While this immediately shot Hanabusa to the top of the succession list, it also put Abercrombie in a tough spot.

How could the governor not grant the dying wish of Hawaii’s most revered statesman? And if he doesn’t, what would be the political consequences?

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