US Senator Brian Schatz won the Democratic primary election in Hawaii proving that he has captured the confidence of Hawaii voters.

Schatz will now finish the term of the late senator Daniel Inouye.

Schatz was challenged by US Representative Colleen Hanabusa, who said that Schatz wasn’t a true incumbent because he had been appointed by Governor Neil Abercrombie after Inouye’s dying wish that Hanabusa replace him.

‘‘This was obviously an extremely hard-fought race. But we’re gratified that the voters heard our message and recognized that I’ve been working hard for the people of Hawaii,’’ said Schatz in an interview late Friday.

Schatz captured 48.5 percent of the vote, compared with Hanabusa’s 47.8 percent.

During his election campaign,Schatz had outspent Hanabusa by $1 million. His television and radio ads emphasized his endorsement by President Obama.

The election was held Friday for two rural precincts on Hawaii’s Big Island that were closed on election day because of damage from Iselle. Turnout in the two precincts was down nearly one-third compared with the 2012 primary, with about 3,000 people casting ballots during early voting and on Friday.

Hanabusa tried to delay the election to give area residents more time to recover from the storm, but she lost a court challenge.

In an interview with reporters late Friday, Hanabusa thanked her supporters for their help conducting a campaign with a “major money deficit.”

Hurricane Iselle turned the spotlight on Puna, an often-neglected part of the state that was in the unlikely position of deciding the likely winner of the US Senate race.

Schatz will face Republican candidate Cam Cavasso in November. However, Schatz is expected to win in the heavily Democratic state.

With the storm resulting in hundreds of downed trees and power lines, thousands of voters couldn’t get to the polls. Both the candidates handed out food, water, and ice to victims which gave a chance to the voters to judge them up close.