Big names on
political foray

Gov. Linda Lingle credits
the president with the islands'
improved economy

Riding on Harleys, trolleys and buses stuffed with politicians and local leaders ranging from Gov. Linda Lingle to banker Walter Dods, Hawaii's Republicans and Democrats spent yesterday in frantic campaigning.

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While Lingle was touring with Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona in traditionally Democratic areas of Nanakuli, Ewa Beach and Waipahu, the Democrats -- with Dods riding on the back of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and Sen. John Kerry's daughter Alexandra in a school bus with a brass band -- went from the swing districts of Haleiwa and Mililani to the strongly Republican areas of Kailua and Hawaii Kai.

In national news interviews, Lingle tied Hawaii's economic upswing to President Bush's leadership.

"The governor said she honestly thinks the state will go for Bush," said Lenny Klompus, Lingle's senior communications adviser.

Lingle also toured the flood damage at the University of Hawaii's Manoa campus before leaving yesterday afternoon for a rally on Kauai. She was to return to host Vice President Dick Cheney at an 11 p.m. rally at the Hawai'i Convention Center.

Meanwhile, GOP Chairman Brennon Morioka held a news conference to condemn another series of Democratic campaign mailers that an independent, bipartisan committee said were "inaccurate, misleading and unfair."

"Lies about our records ruin the political debate and turn the Democrats into sad, unrecognizable imitations of a one-time force for good," said GOP Rep. Guy Ontai, one of the politicians that the Campaign for Clean Elections said had been smeared by the Democratic ads.

Brickwood Galuteria, Hawaii Democratic Party chairman, said it was the Republicans who were spreading smear ads.

"They are playing a different game. It is the type of negative campaigning we stay away from. They just issue innuendo," Galuteria said.

While the local politicians were squabbling on the ground yesterday, Cheney was aboard Air Force Two preparing for his Halloween night trip to Hawaii.

And Sen. John Edwards, the Democratic candidate for vice president, was calling Hawaii political reporters to keep up the interest in the Democrats.

Edwards said the close presidential race means "we take Hawaii very seriously."

"Al Gore came and has been campaigning for us, Alexandra Kerry," Edwards said.

"We have got good people campaigning there (Hawaii), and there are television ads. We want to make the voters know," Edwards said.

While Edwards was working the phones, former presidential candidate Rep. Dennis Kucinich was campaigning on Maui and the Big Island for Kerry and Edwards.