Republicans are launching an aggressive mail campaign against Democratic legislative candidates with attacks mentioning personal bankruptcies and delinquent child support payments.

One mailing against Senate candidate Brickwood Galuteria says the former Democratic Party chairman “;was ordered to pay child support to the mother of his daughter, but soon began paying less ... and eventually stopped paying altogether.”;

The ad charges that the Child Support Enforcement Agency ordered him to pay child support, calling him “;a deadbeat dad.”;

“;Brickwood Galuteria illegally refused to support his daughter. Now he wants you to support him for the Senate,”; the ads reads.

Galuteria is countering with radio ads attacking the GOP. In an interview, Galuteria, a well-known Waikiki entertainer and radio personality, said he has cleared up the money owed and is not in default.

“;This pulls politics down in the gutter,”; Galuteria said. “;They should be ashamed of themselves. It is a last-ditch attempt to slander my name.”;

Sen. Gordon Trimble (R, Downtown-Waikiki), Galuteria's opponent, says the mailings were the work of the party and not coordinated by his campaign.

“;This is about Brickwood; it is not about me. It is about the way he behaved. My mailings are positive and proactive,”; Trimble said.

Trimble says he had discussed campaign mailings with party officials in the past.

“;I told party officials two years ago that this stuff they did was ineffective and counterproductive,”; Trimble said.

Other mailings accused a Maui Democrat of having had two tax liens filed against him and having declared bankruptcy.

Democratic Party Chairman Brian Schatz called it “;last-minute name-calling.”;

“;This election cycle is going to be different. People are sick of the negative attacks. These attacks will backfire,”; Schatz said.

At their Kapiolani Boulevard headquarters, Republicans have a table with literature for volunteers and the public to pick up. Included on the table earlier this week was a bumper sticker attacking Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama.

“;Bin Laden needs a buddy, Vote Obama '08,”; the sticker said.

Schatz called that material “;beyond the pale.”;

“;That is absurd and offensive,”; Schatz said. “;It is just plain ugly and unacceptable.”;

Willes Lee, Hawaii GOP chairman, said he had not approved that sticker and was unaware that it was available at the party headquarters.

“;I haven't seen that. If that is what it says, I don't think that is appropriate,”; Lee said.

He and GOP Executive Director Adam Deguire defended the mailings, saying that the party was offering voters more information about the candidates.

“;I don't see this as being more aggressive than in past years. This is information the public should know, and we have backed it all up,”; Lee says.

He noted that the Democratic Party was running an ad praising a candidate for being a lifelong resident of her Laie-Kahaluu House district, when she was new to the area.

The candidate, Jessica Wooley, sent out an e-mail yesterday saying that she had not coordinated the Democrats' mailing and said it was an “;inadvertent mistake that the party will take steps to correct.”;

Deguire said the party did “;extensive research on all of the GOP opponents and defended the negative mailings.”;

“;This isn't a personal attack; it is an attack on the record,”; Deguire said.

Asked whether the Democrats would respond, Schatz said they are contemplating their own last-minute mailings.

“;We also reserve the right to go negative,”; he said.