Gov. Linda Lingle, with Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona, greeted the crowd at her birthday fund-raiser last night at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel. Her party fell on the eve of the Hawaii GOP convention.
Isle Republicans
target majority control
of state HouseParty officials hope Lingle can
help in the push for 11 more seats
Hawaii Republican Party officials say their three-day convention in Waikiki is only about one thing: Winning 11 more seats and becoming the majority party in the state House.
If they are successful, it would be the first time in 50 years that the Republicans controlled a chamber in the state or territorial legislatures.
To accomplish that, the GOP is banking on Linda Lingle to complete the deal she started when she became the state's first GOP governor in 40 years.
"You are going to see a convention very focused on electing Republicans," Lingle said earlier this week.
Supporters agree that Lingle is the engine pulling the GOP back onto the track.
"I wouldn't have left my job as an engineer if I didn't believe in her," said Brennon Morioka, GOP chairman and executive director.
"We are all here because we believe in her. We are definitely galvanized around her."
To accomplish their goal of taking control of the House from the Democrats, the GOP needs to hold all 15 seats they now command and add an additional 11.
The political consolation prize is to raise their number to at least 18, which would be enough to sustain a Lingle veto.
Local Republicans will get a chance to meet the GOP candidates during the convention and hear from the declared candidates for Congress, including 1st Congressional District candidates Inam Rhaman and Dalton Tanonaka and 2nd District candidate Mike Gabbard.
No major candidate has surfaced to oppose Hawaii's incumbent senior Democratic Sen. Daniel Inouye.
The convention focus, however, is expected to remain on the state races.
Gov. Linda Lingle received a lei and greeting from Nancy Gustafsson last night at her birthday bash at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel.
Morioka sees the convention as a chance for all the GOP candidates to start picking up supporters."I don't want any delegate or guest to leave the convention without having signed onto someone's campaign," Morioka says.
Candidates have already gotten help from the GOP through campaign seminars held for the past year. The training sessions include pointers on breaking down their political districts into different voter groups and shaping their campaign messages.
"We are training them how to analyze their district and how to turn out the voters," Morioka said.
They are also offered courses on public speaking. Lingle is scheduled to give a talk today on the subject.
If pumping up the local candidates is the first order of business, approval of a new platform is another convention issue.
In recent years Lingle and other GOP leaders have shied away from bruising political battles over abortion that had bitterly split the party.
Lingle, who is pro-choice, says she is comfortable now with having the platform silent on the issue.
"I don't think we are going to see those kinds of major uproars. We took the issue out in 2000," Lingle said.
Morioka agrees, noting that it is easier to craft a platform by looking for consensus and support for things all the candidates can agree upon.
"I don't think a platform should include divisive issues," Morioka said.
One issue that party leaders agree on is the need for money. Lingle kicked off a string of five fund-raisers to celebrate her 51st birthday last night, with a 2,000-person, $100-a-ticket affair at the Sheraton. Her fund-raisers will cross the state, ending with one on Kauai June 26.
"The last race cost just over $5 million," Lingle said, adding that she wanted to raise funds for her re-election campaign every year and not just in 2006.
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Convention agenda
Here's a look at the 2004 Hawaii Republican Party convention to be held today through Sunday at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel:
Today
8:30 a.m. Registration
9:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Various seminars including "ethnic outreach, protecting the ballot, education reform, campaign strategies and the 72-hour task force"
2 p.m. Public speaking from Gov. Linda Lingle
3 p.m. Platform forum
Saturday
8:30 a.m. Invocation
10:30 a.m. Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona speech
11 a.m. Brennon Morioka, GOP chairman, speech
11:15 a.m. Parade of GOP candidates
11:25 a.m. Lingle speech
2:15 p.m. Party platform adopted
6:30 p.m. Dinner with Rich Galen, columnist and former communications director for former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Vice President Dan Quayle, keynote speaker
Sunday
8:45 a.m. Call to order
9:05 a.m. Election of delegates to the 2004 GOP National Convention
10:30 a.m. County reports
11:25 a.m. Adjournment
