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Cayetano says Mazie
will win in ’02

The lieutenant governor has
said she wants to run for governor;
Cayetano hedges on an endorsement

By Richard Borreca
Star-Bulletin

Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono will be Hawaii's next governor, Gov. Ben Cayetano predicts.

While stopping short of formally endorsing the two-term lieutenant governor and former House member, Cayetano said he and Hirono share many of the same views.

Cayetano noted that he has pledged to support Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris when he runs for re-election this year. But the governor thinks Hirono will be elected governor in 2002.

"Down the road ... I just got to tell you the lieutenant governor and I are very, very close. We have gone through some battles together. She has a great deal of integrity and philosophically our views are very, very alike and I expect she will be the next governor," Cayetano said, when asked about the race for governor in two years.

Hirono is an attorney who served in the state House from 1980 to 1994. She has said that she wants to run for governor.

Three of Hawaii's five elected governors were lieutenant governor before winning the top spot. While Hawaii's political history has been kind to lieutenant governors who didn't oppose their boss, two lieutenant governors who tried to beat the incumbent governor, Tom Gill and Jean King, both lost in Democratic primaries.

In a meeting yesterday with Star-Bulletin reporters and editors, Cayetano was asked whom he would support for governor in 2002.

Cayetano said he thought Hirono would be governor, but when asked if that was a formal endorsement, Cayetano said no, but tempered it with praise for Hirono.

"It is a long time between now and that election, and so, I think from where I sit right now, she has a lot going for her," Cayetano said.

Many political observers feel that if Harris wins re-election this year, he will run for governor in 2002. Hirono has already said she would like to be governor, and Linda Lingle, GOP chairwoman, says she also expects to run again for governor.

"I think she (Hirono) will likely be the next governor," Cayetano said. "I don't think the Republicans are going to win. The economy is getting better and the unemployment rate is falling."

Hirono said she welcomed Cayetano's prediction and "his confidence in my ability."

"He knows how hard I have worked with issues such as workers comp and the science and technology connection," she said.

Cayetano also asked her to study ways to reduce red tape in state government. Hirono said her project, dubbed SWAT (Slice Waste and Tape), fits in with the governor's broad government reform and civil-service restructuring plans.

Hirono said she is only considering a campaign for the governor's office in 2002, but noted that she has the option of looking at other political developments.

Turning to this fall's campaign, Cayetano said that while he wouldn't actively campaign against members of the Legislature who didn't support his civil service reform package, he would talk about the issue.

"I think if so-and-so was a big problem in terms of getting some reforms across and in public debate," holding the person accountable for his or her actions is fair, he said.

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http://www.hawaii.gov/