Although he was unable to get his candidate into the winner's circle, the influence of U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye in the special election for Hawaii's 1st Congressional District was unmistakable.

Republican Charles Djou won, but Inouye's choice, Colleen Hanabusa, finished an easy second.

Even though she didn't win, the result was cheered at Hanabusa headquarters.

“;Some told us that we shouldn't be in this race,”; she told supporters. “;They told us to sit on the sidelines. They insisted that we were going to fail. But momentum has been on our side and continues to build to our advantage.”;

As the campaign entered the final weeks, Hanabusa was largely written off by national Democrats. Internal polls were leaked at the national level—a move seen by many pundits as an attempt to drive her from the race and give the party a clear opportunity to back rival Ed Case.

It never happened.

Hanabusa showed more than just simply having staying power, finishing ahead of Case by more than 5,000 votes.

John Hart, a political analyst and communications professor at Hawaii Pacific University, attributes her showing to Inouye.

“;Some people will write that Djou's winning is an indication of Inouye as somebody who doesn't have influence,”; Hart said. “;He might not have been able to tip who won, but he certainly was able to tip who lost.”;

Having the ability to rally behind a single candidate likely would have allowed Democrats to hold onto the seat—Hanabusa and Case combined for 59 percent, compared with Djou's 40 percent.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee expressed that frustration earlier this month when it announced it would be pulling its resources from Hawaii, essentially conceding the race, citing the local party's inability to rally behind a single candidate.

“;I think that this thing is so personal for him that he was willing to take certain kinds of risks that are uncharacteristic for him,”; University of Hawaii political scientist Neal Milner said of Inouye last week.

Inouye made no secret of his dislike for Case, an animosity that stems from Case's challenge of U.S. Sen. Dan Akaka in the 2006 Democratic primary.

But Inouye said he has no regrets about his involvement or how the race played out.

“;None at all,”; he said in an interview last night. “;I think (the result) indicates that if the national party had stayed out of it the results could have been a little better.”;

Inouye says he will continue to campaign for Hanabusa leading up to the September primary election.

Whether his actions in the special election have any bearing on his perceived political power in Hawaii will largely depend on how things turn for the party in November, Milner said.

“;Everybody's going to forget whether it waxed or waned his power if the Democrats wind up winning the seat back,”; he said.