Unsuccessful congressional candidate, Vaitinasa Dr. Salu Hunkin-Finau discussed what she described as the “surprising results” of Tuesday’s election at a press conference yesterday.
While she didn’t come right out and say that she expected victory it was clear that Vaitinasa had anticipated the numbers to fall in her favor.
Incumbent Congresswoman Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen won by a landslide, capturing 75.4% of the 11,834 votes cast.
From the absentee ballots to each of the 17 voting districts, electors voted overwhelmingly to return Aumua to Washington D.C.
Vaitinasa had resigned her job as Director of Education in the Lolo Lemanu cabinet to devote her full attention to her campaign.
She was largely thought to be the administration’s candidate of choice.
But while the administration won convincingly at the polls, it was a different result for Vaitinasa.
While she had the second highest number of votes she only polled 13.4% of ballots cast.
Vaitinasa, who was a candidate for governor in the 2012 general elections, says she and her committee have been analyzing the numbers and trying to pinpoint where they went wrong .
Vaitinasa says in several villages she was told that she was the first candidate to personal visit them. And every voter she shook hands with did not bring up anything negative. Despite the supportive comments she received , she didn’t take this to mean that she had the election in the bag.
Vaitinasa said it’s the cultural norm that people will not tell someone in their face that they don’t like or will not vote for them.
But still she expected better results.
She’s of the opinion that Aumua had the sympathy vote and it wasn’t until former congressman Faleomavaega Eni Hunkin, her brother, became ill , that voters elected Aumua.
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Vaitinasa didnt say whether she would make another run for Congress.
As for the immediate future she said if the governor asks for her help she would be happy to provide it.
A book and a CD is in the making and she will be spending more time with her family.
