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Capitol View
SOME of the biggest players in local politics aren't on the ballot for the election next week, but they are still out working. 2002 election aspirants
are already busyWith the state just two years away from the biggest political year since statehood, candidates know that every new-found friend counts. Politicians are not going to lose the opportunity to make more friends this year.
Perhaps the busiest non-candidate is Linda Lingle, the Republican Party chairwoman. After losing the race for governor two years ago, at first Lingle didn't want a high-profile party position, but she took the job and has used the time to reshape the GOP.
"We have 2,500 new first-time political contributors and we have grown the party by the same amount," Lingle says.
Besides raising the money, Lingle has gone out and personally recruited many of the GOP legislative candidates.
Like any enthusiastic coach before the first game of the season, Lingle is thinking about victory.
"This year we have so many who have a real chance. They are smart and we have worked hard to get them up to speed," she says.
She tells the candidates that what they do in the closing days of this campaign "will determine what you will be doing for the next two years."
The campaign, she says, "boils down to how hard and smart we work."
So Lingle is out at 6:30 most mornings waving signs for GOP candidates. Later she is writing letters and calling up GOP contributors asking them to donate to new candidates.
"When you go out and recruit people, you have an obligation to help them be successful," she says.
Lingle, of course, is hoping that her wins this fall will translate into a winning picture for her in two years when she runs again for governor.
Democratic Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono is also out working hard this election year, although her big race is two years away.
Hirono wants to be governor, but now is running the local Democratic presidential campaign and helping most of the Democratic state candidates.
Hirono, a state House member for 14 years before running for lieutenant governor, knows how to campaign hard and she is doing it for a wide group of Democrats.
Party leadership falls to Gov. Ben Cayetano and party chairman Walter Heen, so Hirono isn't burdened with the responsibility for success or failure of the entire Democratic Party ticket.
But Hirono is still out campaigning. She has nearly a dozen candidates whom she is helping with sign-waving during the week.
SHE is also writing letters for other candidates, including Sen. Brian Kanno, locked in a tough re-election fight against GOP newcomer Hank Makini.
Hirono also is busy writing friend-to-friend cards for another six legislative candidates.
The third major probable candidate for governor in two years, Mayor Jeremy Harris, is relatively low-key this election.
It isn't because the campaign didn't want to get involved, says campaign spokesman Rick Tsujimura, but because Harris filed a Campaign Spending Commission protest against two Republican candidates who were using their campaign material to support Harris' opponent, Mufi Hannemann.
But Harris has made his campaign headquarter available for candidates needing a meeting place and is helping set up the Democratic rally Sunday at Kakaako Waterfront Park.
"To the extent that people are asking us to help, we are trying to, but not in any organized way," Tsujimura said.
Richard Borreca reports on Hawaii's politics every Wednesday.
He can be reached by e-mail at rborreca@starbulletin.com