House candidates rev up campaigns
Hirono hopes to reach out while Hogue is getting national help
Former Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono expects a tough challenge from Republican state Sen. Bob Hogue in their U.S. House race.
"We're not taking anything for granted at all," said Julie Stauch, Hirono's campaign manager. "We're putting together a full campaign strategy and we'll be implementing a complete effort at reaching voters across the district, making sure they know where Mazie stands on things and, when necessary, where Bob stands and what his record is."
Hogue already is getting some help from committees in Washington, D.C.
It took the Republican National Committee just three hours to get involved in the race.
An e-mail time-stamped 4:33 a.m. Hawaii time Sunday -- about three hours after the release of the third printout showed Hogue with a 199-vote lead over primary challenger Quentin Kawananakoa -- already was quoting RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman's support for Hogue's candidacy. Hogue's final margin of victory was 186 votes.
Yesterday, the National Republican Congressional Committee issued a news release calling Hirono a "big government peacenik," and criticizing comments she made during the primary campaign calling for the establishment of a federal Department of Peace.
"Open-seat races, by their very nature, present pickup opportunities," NRCC spokesman Alex Burgos said in a phone interview. "On the Republican side, you have an experienced legislator who's well-known in the community ... versus a fringe Democrat who would make even Howard Dean cringe."
Although he would not say how much money the committee might commit to Hawaii, Burgos acknowledged that the group has bought ads and supplied resources for candidates in other states.
Stauch said Hirono's campaign was ready for attacks from national GOP groups.
"I think that the NRCC did not do its research, because they're making a reference to who's out of touch," Stauch said. "Who's out of touch here is George Bush, the Republicans in Washington and Bob Hogue.
"I'm not surprised that they're throwing this kind of stuff out here, but I also say, 'Bring it on.'"
Hirono already has said she would make Hogue's support of the Bush administration a central theme of her campaign at a time when some mainland Republicans in close races have tried to distance themselves from the president.
Democrats in Hawaii, including many of the nine candidates who lost to Hirono in the primary, pledged to rally support to turn away the GOP challenge.
"Those were my first words to Mazie: 'I'm going to be there for you,'" said Honolulu City Councilman Nestor Garcia, who finished eighth in the race. "All the Democrats do that."
Democratic Party Chairman Mike McCartney said he also expected involvement from Republican committees at the national level, but that he also is confident that Hirono will receive strong support from district's traditional Democratic base.
Although moderate Ed Case has held the seat since 2003, many Democrats still view the office as that of the late Rep. Patsy Mink, whose strong liberal stances and anti-war voting record led conservatives to nickname her "Patsy Pink."
"Every seat in the House is going to mean a lot to both parties, so I think you're going to see a very spirited effort in the campaign," McCartney said. "People are going to have to define whether they support the president's policies or not -- whether they support the war, whether they support privatization of Social Security. It's going to come down to those types of issues."
Hogue, who has pledged to run a "positive" campaign, said he understands the challenge ahead of him.
"We differ politically on a number of issues, and we'll talk about those things as the campaign goes forward," Hogue said yesterday. "I've been out there campaigning and we'll continue to do so. My feeling is that most people would fall into the moderate category, if you will, and it's a case of trying to reach those people."
Hogue, who won the GOP primary despite being outspent about 8-to-1, already has said he hopes to be able to raise more money for the general election race. He welcomed the support of the national groups.
"We're hopeful that we'll be able to generate whatever is needed, whether it's on a national basis or on a local basis," he said.