Hawaii Republicans are still picking up the pieces from an Election Day drubbing.

The GOP lost one legislative seat in the primary election and two more on Tuesday, going from 11 seats to just eight seats in the 76-member state Legislature.

Presidential candidate John McCain was able to capture 26.5 percent of the state vote, which is even lower than the previous 31 percent low picked up by then-Sen. Robert Dole in 1996.

Republicans and Democrats alike say the immense local popularity of Barack Obama's presidential campaign brought voters over to the Democrat column, but Brian Schatz, state Democratic chairman, said the GOP failed to pose challenges in 20 legislative races, giving the Democrats an advantage even before the primary election votes were counted in September.

“;You can't win the game if you don't even suit up,”; Schatz said.

In the 2010 races, the Republicans will try to enter more races, according to Willes Lee, GOP chairman.

He said this year's election losses were “;an affirmation that we need to run more and better candidates.”;

The party lost two incumbents, Sen. Gordon Trimble (Downtown-Waikiki) and Rep. Colleen Meyer (Laie-Kahaluu). The GOP was unable to dislodge any incumbent Democrats.

Saying that the GOP “;took quite a shellacking”; on a national level, Lee added that the local party will start changing.

“;We know we need to make some changes in our messaging and in our branding and again field great candidates, although more of them,”; Lee said in an interview yesterday.

After Tuesday's vote, Democrats control 60 state legislative bodies across the country, compared with 36 for the Republicans, according the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Republicans feel that when the Obama wave broke over Hawaii, it carried Democrat candidates with him.

Rep. Barbara Marumoto (R, Kalani Valley-Diamond Head) won her race, but said the Obama vote “;was like nothing I have ever seen in politics.”;

It didn't hurt that Obama graduated from Punahou School and his sister teaches at La Pietra-Hawaii Schools for Girls, Marumoto said.

Gov. Linda Lingle's performance as titular head of the GOP is drawing mixed reviews, with Democrats saying that her three campaign trips to help McCain in battleground states cost the local GOP.

“;She couldn't care less about the local Republican Party,”; U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie said.

“;My friends like Senators Fred Hemmings and Sam Slom, and Barbara Marumoto, they have been stalwarts of the Republican Party, but she left them all on their own,”; said Abercrombie, a Democrat.

Lee disagreed, saying Lingle appeared in all GOP brochures, held signs with several candidates, donated to Republican campaigns and helped with strategy.

“;No matter how we look at this, it is the candidate's responsibility to win their race. The party and the governor can support, but every individual has to win,”; Lee said.

Yesterday morning, Lingle appeared on KITV and defended her political activity.

“;I think every candidate needs to take responsibility for their own race,”; Lingle said. “;I do.”;