How will progressive Americans react to the announcement that Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii is resigning from the House of Representatives? Democrats seem to have little to fear: although a Republican, Congresswoman Pat Saiki, held Abercrombie’s seat for four years in the late 1980s, she has been the only Republican to occupy a Hawaiian seat in the House in history. And unlike other states in which governors appoint replacement members of Congress, Republican Governor Linda Lingle has no power to do so in Hawaii. Abercrombie’s seat will be filled through a special election in 2010.

The partisan Democratic nature of the 1st District Hawaii congressional seat seems secure, but how much of a loss to the progressive cause is Neil Abercrombie’s departure? Let’s look at his recent record, which reveals that Abercrombie is an imperfect progressive, but a solid progressive nonetheless.

In January of 2009 as the 111th Congress gaveled into session, Neil Abercrombie delivered a speech in which he praised his own delivery of pork for Hawaii military projects that “touch the global community,” a special sort of touch that is not entirely welcomed elsewhere. Abercrombie also voted to deliver federal lands into the hands of the anti-gay, mandated Christian, discriminatory Boy Scouts organization.

However, Abercrombie also voted to require videotaping of detainee interrogations, voted to protect women’s access to abortion, threw his support behind a health care plan that would expand Medicare to all, voted for the release of presidential records, supported a bill to give shareholders control over executive salaries, reauthorized the CHIP children’s health care program, voted for equal pay with the Lily Ledbetter Act, and threw his support behind 8 out of 12 bills extending equality to gay and lesbian Americans. Abercrombie has been a consistent opponent of the FISA Amendments Act in actions extending back into the 110th Congress.

No, Neil Abercrombie was not a perfect progressive in Congress. But despite his imperfect record he has been a relatively consistent defender of progressive policy during his two decades in Congress. Rep. Abercrombie’s presence will be missed; it is up to Hawaiian voters to decide whether the progressive tradition in Hawaii will persevere with the swearing-in of a new representative.