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Mayoral hopefuls
make final push
Hannemann and Bainum go around
town to woo voters
Hannemann obliged, saying, "Can you ask your parents to call a couple more people to go out and vote for me?"
Later in the day, Hannemann's opponent, Duke Bainum, stood on the tarmac of Honolulu Airport, waving and flashing a sign with his name on it to a jet that was taxiing.
"I've never sign-waved to a plane before," Bainum said with a beaming smile.
With a Honolulu mayor's race coming down to the wire on the eve of the general election, Hannemann and Bainum found themselves trying to squeeze as many votes out of the public as they could yesterday.
Hannemann and an entourage of supporters traveled in a motorcade of a trolley, bus and truck decorated in red, white and blue through parts of Oahu, beginning first in Kalihi, then heading to downtown Honolulu, Ward Centre, Keeaumoku Street, Moiliili, Kaneohe and Kailua.
"I did everything from a business walk-through this morning, did two radio shows today ... whatever it is that people need to hear, need to feel, need to see. I went to Halloween parties galore last night," he said, joking that he went as a mayor wannabe.
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Bainum also went on a whirlwind campaign tour yesterday.
First, he visited Chinatown, then waited tables at Murphy's Bar and Grill on Nuuanu Avenue before visiting Kalihi businesses. Later in the day, he went to Kapolei to wave signs.
"Hopefully, I've educated and shared with the people my positions. And it looks like a lot of people are going to come out (to vote)," Bainum said.
The key, however, was for both sides to push their voters to get to the polls.
"We're asking our supporters who have already voted now to get their other members of their family, business friends, church members to go out and vote," Hannemann said. "It's all now part of asking someone to go that extra mile and not just be content that they voted, that they've done their part and they can just sit back and relax."
Hannemann found himself in friendly territory when he appeared on a live radio broadcast at Dave & Buster's along with KHNR hosts state Sen. Fred Hemmings and Sen. Donna Mercado Kim. Hemmings has come out to publicly support Hannemann's candidacy, while Kim and Hannemann are childhood friends.
After the broadcast, Hannemann made a plea to voters: "All I'm asking for is a chance. Just give me a chance to do a job that I've been preparing for a lifetime. I just need my voters to go out to vote."
Bainum spent about an hour meeting and greeting Hawaiian Airlines passengers and employees at the airport.
"Mr. Bainum, nice to meet you. Good luck tomorrow," said Wallace Thompson, who was about to board a flight to go home to Maui. He said he supports Bainum but cannot vote for him.
"Tell all your friends to vote," suggested Bainum, who along with his wife, Jennifer, shook hands and passed out kaki mochi packets with the message "Vote Duke Bainum for Mayor on Nov. 2."
Employee David Alipio was about to punch in when he told Bainum, "My girlfriend said to vote for Duke Bainum."
But that's what the day was about. "Clearly, that's why I'm doing this," Bainum said.
