Kawananakoa
ill, drops out of
Congress race

The GOP candidate is
hospitalized with hypertension
and severe headaches

By Mike Yuen
Star-Bulletin

State House Republican leader Quentin Kawananakoa has abruptly aborted his bid for Congress, just five days after he had insisted he was in the race to stay.

"I have been undergoing treatment for hypertension and its related conditions including heart palpitations, high blood pressure and severe headaches," Kawananakoa said yesterday in a statement released by his campaign.

"Under a doctor's care, my condition slowly improves and the prognosis is good, although at present I am unable to lead the winning campaign we all wanted."

Withdrawing from the race, Kawananakoa said, "is by far the most difficult decision I have made in my life."

Kawananakoa's wife, Liz, said he was admitted to Queen's Hospital yesterday. His condition will be monitored and her husband's doctor, whom she declined to identify, will determine when Kawananakoa can be discharged, she said.

The 36-year-old Kawananakoa, who was unavailable for questions, was seen by the state GOP as one of its rising stars. He was considered the front-runner in the primary against fellow state Rep. Gene Ward, who was ousted a year ago as House minority leader by Kawananakoa.

Since Ward is uncontested in the primary, he automatically becomes the GOP nominee for the seat held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, whose district encompasses urban Honolulu.

Kawananakoa's campaign manager, Todd Shigekane, said Kawananakoa decided Monday night to withdraw from the race.

But during much of last week the Abercrombie and Ward camps were speculating that Kawananakoa would be dropping out. Their evidence: Kawananakoa had canceled all of his TV buys leading up to the Sept. 19 primary and had been absent from the campaign trail in recent weeks.

Earlier this month, Shigekane said Kawananakoa's campaign was on hold because the candidate suffered from a strep throat that had turned into "walking pneumonia."

Kawananakoa on Friday told the Star-Bulletin that he wasn't bowing out. He said he canceled the TV buys because his polls showed him so far ahead of Ward that he decided to save his funds for the expected fight against Abercrombie.

Ward declined to speculate on where the race is headed. "My concern now is that I've got a fallen colleague," Ward said. "I am very concerned about the health of my colleague. My wife and I pray that he has a speedy recovery."

That sentiment was shared by Abercrombie. He said: "Today is not a day for politics. This is a day for all of us to have our thoughts and prayers for Quentin Kawananakoa and his family."

State GOP Chairwoman Donna Alcantara said she's certain that "Gene's numbers will go up now that it is just a two-man race and we'll try to keep in place the national support we've got."

Ward said he and Kawananakoa had made a vow that whatever the outcome of the primary, they "would be locking arms and joining troops" to oust Abercrombie.

Maui Mayor Linda Lingle, a GOP candidate for governor, expressed sympathy.

"I just wish Quentin and his family well, and I pray for his good health," she said during a break in a campaign appearance at Farrington High School last night.

"I haven't given any thought -- because I just heard of this today -- to what impact it may have in the way of the political atmosphere, and my only thoughts are for him as a person."

Mike Liu, a GOP candidate for lieutenant governor, also at the Lingle rally, said: "The main thing we have to be concerned about is Quentin's health and his family, and I just hope at this time we just pray for his fast recovery."

Kawananakoa's Shigekane said it will be up to individual campaign workers to decide if they want to be active in Ward's campaign.

After all campaign expenses are covered, what's left of the roughly $100,000 still in Kawananakoa's campaign coffers will be returned to contributors, he said.

Liz Kawananakoa said it is uncertain what her husband's future political plans might be. For now, she only wants his health to improve, she said.

"I hope," said Honolulu Councilman John Henry Felix, a Republican, "that he gets well soon and is able to once again become a political force sometime in the near future."

Star-Bulletin reporter Harold Morse
contributed to this report.