Patsy Mink's former chief of staff has thrown her support behind former state Sen. Matt Matsunaga in the special election for the 2nd Congressional District. Key Mink aide
endorses MatsunagaBy Craig Gima
cgima@starbulletin.com
A letter signed by Joan Manke, a long-time Mink staffer, is being sent to thousands of Mink supporters culled from her campaign mailing lists, a source told the Star-Bulletin.
The letter, on Matt Matsunaga for Congress stationery, is being paid for by the Matsunaga campaign.
Ed Case, who won the Nov. 30 special election to fill the remaining five weeks of Mink's current term, said Manke is one of four Mink staffers who did not stay with the office when he took over, despite being offered jobs.
Case is also one of 44 candidates running in the second special election, on Jan. 4. The election is necessary because Mink died Sept. 28 after complications with viral pneumonia and chicken pox and posthumously won re-election in the Nov. 5 general election.
Manke and Matsunaga were not available for comment last night.
The letter dated Monday says, "Matt is keiki o ka aina, just like his dad, Spark, who worked many years with Patsy on Capitol Hill. By his upbringing in the nation's capital, and by his temperament as a 'local boy,' Matt possesses the right stuff to be an effective member of the team that has worked so faithfully for Hawaii."
"The letter is clearly designed to bolster Matt's weaknesses," Case said, noting that his opponent was raised in Maryland when his father, the late U.S. Sen. Spark Matsunaga, served in Congress.
Voters can begin casting walk-in absentee ballots today through Jan. 2 at Honolulu Hale and the Pearlridge Shopping Center on Oahu; county buildings in Maui, Kauai and Hilo; and the Keauhou Shopping Center in Kona.
State Office of Elections
