Kawananakoa says he’s
By Mike Yuen
‘doing fine,’ may run for
elected office again
Star-BulletinHouse Republican leader Quentin Kawananakoa, who abruptly abandoned his congressional bid for health reasons, says he may run for elected office again.
But he doesn't know when that might be or what office he might seek.
In his first meeting with reporters since he stepped aside, allowing rival state Rep. Gene Ward to win the GOP nomination to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, Kawananakoa said he was doing fine. He declined to discuss his health in detail, although he did acknowledge that it could become a campaign issue if he decides to run again.
He did say that during the primary campaign he was hospitalized twice, once for a day and another time for two days.
When Kawananakoa aborted his campaign 31/2 weeks before the primary, his campaign released a statement that said he had been undergoing treatment for hypertension and related conditions, including heart palpitations, high blood pressure and severe headaches. His condition, Kawananakoa said yesterday, is now stable.
Ward, 55, who was ousted as House minority leader by Kawananakoa a year ago, said he had invited Kawananakoa, 37, to appear at his fund-raiser earlier this week to show that Republicans were united in their desire to oust Abercrombie.
But Kawananakoa said he did not attend because Ward's invitation came the day before the event, and he already had plans to spend time with his wife and 16-month-old son.
While he will be voting for Ward, Kawananakoa said the politicking he does in the final days of the general-election campaign will be to help fellow Republican Christopher Dawson. Dawson, president of an environmental engineering firm, is running against Democrat Sylvia Luke, an attorney, for the Nuuanu-Punchbowl House seat that Kawananakoa is vacating.
