Case closed, Hawaii's Democrats have once again put their lieutenant governor in position to run for governor, as voters supported Mazie Hirono in a narrow victory last night.
Hirono wins
Meanwhile, Lingle easily captures
Mink's supporters subdued
the Republican nomination
in the governor's raceBy Richard Borreca
rborreca@starbulletin.comAnd with her victory, Hawaii voters are poised to elect their first woman governor, as former Maui Mayor Linda Lingle easily won the Republican gubernatorial primary.
At 11:30 p.m. the vote total had Hirono with 75,186 and her closest opponent, state Rep. Ed Case, in second place with 72,753. Coming in third was D.G. "Andy" Anderson, who conceded after the first printout.
The Republican-turned-Democratic candidate for governor, Anderson, who has run and lost twice for governor as a Republican, said the campaign "refreshed" him, and he thanked voters for putting their trust in him.
Case came close to giving a concession speech as he told the crowd just after midnight that victory seemed almost impossible.
"It would have to be a pretty big turnaround for us to win right now," Case said.
Hirono said last night that her campaign would "bust our okoles to get going."
CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM
Democratic gubernatorial candidate D.G. "Andy" Anderson threw his support to Mazie Hirono at her rally at the Neal Blaisdell Center.
She promised a campaign that would work first to bring in the Case supporters.
"We are going to work hard to do that. We represent a new generation of leaders. I am going to lead and support a new generation," Hirono said.
Lingle, who had come within 5,000 votes of beating the incumbent Gov. Ben Cayetano four years ago, easily beat John Carroll and Crystal Young.
Lingle garnered 69,530 votes, nearly 88 percent, to 7,439, or 9 percent, for Carroll.
Lingle's running mate will be former Judge James "Duke" Aiona, who beat former legislator Cam Cavasso and former broadcaster Dalton Tanonaka.
Hirono comes into the general election after wavering early on and stepping out of the race when Mayor Jeremy Harris was the governor's race front-runner.
Case had hoped that his low-budget campaign would spark interest in independent voters across the state, and he felt that his own message, stressing change from within the Democratic Party, would catch on.
"We worked hard and we got our message out," Case said.
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@ STARBULLETIN.COM
Linda Lingle sampled the sweet taste of success during primary election night in the form of some donated dessert at her campaign headquarters.
"We figured we had the momentum in the last 10 days," Case said.
Republican Party Chairman Micah Kane said after the Hirono victory that there is disunity in the Democratic Party.
"I think Case said it best," Kane said. "Mazie is incapable of getting Hawaii back on track. She has no plan," Kane said.
Hirono responded, saying, "I disagree. I am going to reach out to all his supporters because we have shared values that government can be an agent for change," Hirono said.
As the campaign scene is set, both Democrats and Republicans go into the general election spoiling for a fight.
At Democratic Party headquarters, U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie was working on his attack against Lingle and the Republicans, calling them the party of big business.
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@ STARBULLETIN.COM
Gubernatorial candidate D.G. "Andy" Anderson spoke to supporters last night.
"I don't blame Linda Lingle. She is a Republican, and it is her job to make sure that the big companies take the average workers to the cleaners," Abercrombie said.
But Lingle, over at her Ala Moana headquarters, was ready to fire back.
"The fact is, the new grass-roots movement is happening right here. People want a two-party system, and they are willing to vote for Republicans and they are attracted to the things we are proposing," Lingle said.
Former Gov. John Waihee was another Democrat who figures the race against Lingle is going to be a tough fight.
"Lingle is going to be in a real campaign for the first time this season," Waihee said. He predicted that the Republicans will not be able to carry Hawaii in the face of a united Democratic Party.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Governor candidate Linda Lingle talked with Jonathan Hilt and son, Steven, yesterday afternoon at the Honolulu JobQuest 2002.
"The Republicans may have learned a lot about campaign technique, but they haven't learned about the heart and soul of Hawaiian politics," Waihee said.
Today, both Democrats and Republicans will be stressing unity in their campaigns. The Democrats had planned an interisland trip, flying to the Big Island, Maui and Kauai to rally fellow Democrats.
The Democrats will include their party leaders, including U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye and Gov. Ben Cayetano, and party leaders in the House and Senate. The Democrats will go today to rallies on each of the neighbor islands, which in past years have been strongholds of Democratic support.
The Republicans are all meeting today in the Lingle headquarters to map out a coordinated strategy for the general election. Republicans benefit from a big campaign treasury and the chance to add more money in the next week. Lingle has a series of high-ticket private fund-raisers planned this week in Portlock and Waikiki.
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The scene at Patsy Mink headquarters was probably like a lot of local political headquarters last night: supporters wearing brightly colored shirts, television sets tuned to election coverage and Hawaiian food waiting to be served. Mink’s supporters subdued
as she continues recoveringBy Rod Antone
rantone@starbulletin.comBut there was an underlying atmosphere that spoke volumes. Concerned faces, teary eyes and moments of sad silence were signs that all was not well with the long-time congresswoman.
"She's getting the best treatment possible," said Mink's husband, John, who offered no further comments.
John Mink, their daughter, Wendy, and Patsy's brother, Eugene Takemoto, went to visit her at the hospital before going to her campaign headquarters in Kailua last night.
Mink's chief of staff, Joan Manke, said: "The family has been asked to be patient (by the doctors) so that Patsy has the time she needs to overcome this and get better.
"We're all waiting for her to get back to work and to get things done."
Mink, 74, suffering from chickenpox, was admitted to Straub Clinic & Hospital on Aug. 30. The disease triggered viral pneumonia, and she was moved Sept. 1 to the intensive care unit, where she has remained in serious condition.
Manke said the family is "at the hospital all the time."
"She's never been sick until now," Manke recalled. "During the congressional recess in August, she was out every day, raring to go ... she had so much energy."
For the most part, it was a festive mood at Democratic Party headquarters on Kapiolani Boulevard, but there were lingering concerns for Mink.
"How's Patsy?" a volunteer asked U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie as he went outside.
"She fine," he answered with a smile. When the woman left, he turned and said, "She's as fine as she can be isolated in an ICU (intensive care unit) in a hospital.
"I miss her ... we've been partners since we met at my first campaign in 1957 ... we've been partners in the House for 12 years.
"The doctors have told us to be patient so she can heal, they don't want her to talk," Abercrombie said. Then before he headed on stage to address the crowd, he added optimistically, "I look forward to seeing her again."
At GOP headquarters down the street, state Rep. Bob McDermott looked ahead to the general election and wondered if he'll have to face Mink or a Democratic substitute.
"They've got a whole slew of people they could pick from: Ed Case, Mufi Hannemann, John Waihee ... we don't know what we're dealing with here."
McDermott said he understands the pain the Mink family must be going through, but he still wants to know the extent of her illness.
"A lot of people are pulling for her to recover, including me, but I still wish we knew more about her condition," he said.
"There's a real issue about fitness for office here that people need to consider ... even if she recovers, will she still be able to serve?"
