Djou on Campaign for Congress

This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," April 21, 2010. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SEAN HANNITY, HOST: All right. And so, in just under a month, Republicans could be celebrating the pick up of a House seat that is in the hands of Democrats for nearly two decades. What's even more interesting is that this seat happens to be in President Obama's hometown district. Now, there you see the very house that the Anointed One spent part of his childhood.

Now, for years the area has been a Democratic stronghold, but that could soon change. A special election will take place on May 22 to fill the seat previously held by Democrat Neil Abercrombie, who is now running for governor. So could Obama's old stomping ground soon be sending a Republican to Washington, D.C.?

And joining me now from Honolulu is the man himself, GOP congressional candidate, city councilman and member of the U.S. Army Reserve, Charles Djou is with us.

Charles, welcome to the program. Thanks for being with us.

CHARLES DJOU (R), CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: Aloha, Sean. Thank you very much for having me on.

HANNITY: Aloha, Sean. Thank you for being here. Now, apparently, the Democrats think a lot of your candidacy, because national Democrats have launched massive attacks against you. Tell us what they're saying about you?

DJOU: You know, Sean, I guess it's a good sign here that the Democrats are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to try and tear down my candidacy. It's a sure sign that they're very much afraid of what the voters of Hawaii may do.

Some of the attacks against me have been that I supposedly favor shipping jobs overseas. And the reason for that is because I signed a pledge not to raise taxes. It's utterly preposterous claim, but I think it's a clear sign of how desperate the Democrats are and how serious the stakes are in this particular congressional race.

We really can win. And if we win here in Hawaii, it makes a profound statement for the Republicans to take back control of the U.S. House of Representatives this coming November.

HANNITY: All right, but it seems the biggest issue with the — the Democratic congressional campaign committee and their attacks against you is that you oppose the stimulus plan.

Now, you've also gone on record saying you've never voted for a tax increase. You've never supported wasteful government spending. We have chronicled in two very distinct specials on this program the government waste as it relates to the stimulus. How would — I would think that this is a favorable issue for you, but you know, it's the only — it's the only congressional race — go ahead.

DJOU: Sean, it clearly shows the desperation. I think of the majority of Congress and how they are taking our nation in the wrong direction. And my candidacy is built on a very simple premise, that I understand every single dollar that the government spends comes from a family like yours.

And if I'm fortunate enough to get elected to Congress, that's something I will never forget. And that simple statement, unfortunately, is frightening and scaring the national operatives over in Washington, D.C. And that's all the much more reason why we really need to change the direction of Congress, because their mentality of spend, spend, spend, and if that doesn't work, spend some more, really is doing a great disservice to the American people.

And I very eagerly look forward to bringing as much to the people of Hawaii in this upcoming special election.

HANNITY: All right. I like everything that you're saying.

DJOU: Thank you.

HANNITY: Because if Congress — if Congress would spend money as if it was their own money, I think they would probably be far more fiscally responsible. The question is — go ahead.

DJOU: No, no, I was going to say, Sean, you're absolutely right. And that's why we so desperately need things like earmark reform. We need to put a moratorium on all this pork the Congress is spending. We need a balanced budget amendment. And what we don't need is another stimulus package or a one-trillion-dollar takeover of the health-care industry.

HANNITY: But this is a seat that has been held by a Democrat for the better part of two decades. Do you think the environment now is maybe similar to Massachusetts or New Jersey? Do you think this could be the year? And what do the poll numbers show?

DJOU: Absolutely. We're extreme excited about this campaign. You know the poll numbers — clearly, the only poll number that counts is the one taken by the voters on Election Day.

But some of the recent polls that have come out show that my campaign is either tied for the lead or enjoying a very razor-thin lead ahead of the Democratic candidates.

But the important thing here is that we have a great message. And it's a message that it is more important to elect a congressman who wants to hold down your taxes and let you keep more of your money than elect the congressman who wants to spend all of your money. That's what our candidacy is all about.

HANNITY: I think if you're a liberal you kind of wake up in the morning and saying, "You know what? I'm not paying enough in taxes. I need to pay more." So I like the message of fiscal responsibility.

DJOU: Nobody is stopping you from paying more taxes. Anybody can pay any more taxes they want.

HANNITY: I don't have any change left. They've taken every bit — every — well, that's another story. Anyway, good luck. All the best to you. Thanks for being with us.

DJOU: Thanks. I really appreciate it. I invite everybody to visit my Web site, Djou.com. That's my last name, Djou.com.

Sean, next time let's do this interview in Honolulu on Waikiki Beach, all right?

HANNITY: All right. You know what? That's really important. I think we'll have to get right on that as soon as possible. Thank you, Charles, for being with us.

DJOU: Best wishes. Aloha.

— Watch "Hannity" weeknights at 9 p.m. ET!

Content and Programming Copyright 2010 Fox News Network, Inc. Copyright 2010 Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.