Democrats hedge bets in governor's race
By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Capitol Bureau
Loud applause and hearty cheers greeted Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono as she asked the guests in the ballroom of the Dole Cannery if she could count on their support in her run for governor.
But also mingling in the crowd at Hirono's fund-raiser last week were Democrats who clapped politely but are staying publicly neutral in the most highly competitive primary race the Democratic Party has seen in years.
Marcus Oshiro is careful not to alienate supporters.
It has been more than a decade since two prominent Democrats ran for the state's top elected position. The contest between Hirono and Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris may be the most expensive and politically bruising ever, with the stakes for the party especially high because Republicans will field a strong, well-financed candidate.
The official position of most Democrats is that the party has a history of fielding more than one candidate for governor and that the competition strengthens the party because it fosters more participation and broader ideas.
But it also places some Democrats, particularly elected officials, in the uncomfortable position of being pressured to choose sides. Most concede they are trying to stay neutral before next September's primary, especially because endorsing Candidate A can anger constituents who like Candidate B.
"You don't want to alienate some of your supporters by supporting one of the two or three candidates in the primary," said House Majority Leader Marcus Oshiro, who attended Hirono's fund-raiser. "And most of the gubernatorial candidates will understand that and appreciate that. They understand the exposure problem that can come about."
Oshiro, D-40th (Wahiawa, Whitmore), said elected officials will be concentrating on their own re-election bids, so many are not likely to throw themselves into the governor's race before the primary. Indeed, many of the same people who showed up at the Hirono event will probably be shaking hands at the next Harris fund-raiser.
"The politically correct thing is to let the candidates fight it out and may the best candidate win," said state Rep. Willie Espero, D-41st ('Ewa Beach), who also attended Hirono's fund-raiser. Espero is practical: "Well, you just don't know who's going to win."
House Speaker Calvin Say said he already told Hirono he would not endorse anyone in the primary.
"It would be very unfair to take sides in a primary election of Democratic candidates," he said.
Say, D-18th (Palolo, St. Louis, Kaimuki), said doing so may affect his credibility with his Democratic colleagues in the Legislature as well as his constituents.
"Everyone has their own personal relationships with the candidates," he said. "What happens if I have colleagues that support Harris and colleagues that support Mazie and I go and support one of them? Would they be upset at me?"
There also is the risk of hard feelings when an official chooses not to support the candidate who wins.
Calvin Say said it's unfair to take sides in a primary election.
"It affects the relationship," Say said. "It may be tainted a little as far as, 'I can't trust you, Calvin, because you backed up so-and-so.' It may be interpreted that way also."
Crowded primaries used to be the rule for Democrats. Lt. Gov. Tom Gill ran against incumbent Gov. John Burns in 1970. Voters saw a four-way Democratic primary in 1974 with acting Gov. George Ariyoshi, Honolulu Mayor Frank Fasi, Gill and Senate President David McClung. Ariyoshi went on to defeat fellow Democrats in two more primaries: Fasi in 1978 and Lt. Gov. Jean King in 1982.
The last heated primary occurred in 1986, when then-Lt. Gov. Waihe'e, former congressman Cec Heftel, and then-Honolulu Councilwoman Patsy Mink competed in the Democratic primary for governor.
Waihe'e said many people told him they would publicly remain neutral, a position he called a general rule.
"Politicians don't like to make choices like this," he said. "The smart thing, quote-unquote, is to maintain some neutrality and not alienate either camp. That's going to be the position that most people take, so when they do make the choice it's going to be in the ballot box."
Some longtime Democrats say despite the grueling race, the party was able to come together to battle in the general election.
"Of course, you had some diehards who just wouldn't vote for the governor (Waihe'e)," said Naomi "Sister" Correa, a longtime Democratic Party activist. "But I would say that a good majority (of Heftel supporters) felt that that's the way it goes. I was one of them and so I went out and tried to do my share in getting the Cec Heftel backers to come back. (But) there were some that really stayed bitter for a long time."
Former lawmaker Wayne Metcalf said he was one of three legislators who publicly supported Waihe'e early on for governor. He said taking that position was sensitive because Waihe'e was considered the underdog, but that the primary did not divide the party.
"Democrats have always demonstrated a capacity to pull together after a contested primary," he said.
The argument could be backed by the Democrats' uninterrupted, decades-long tenure in the governor's office.
But the Republican Party was never as large a threat as it is today. Hawai'i Republican Party chairwoman Linda Lingle narrowly lost to Gov. Ben Cayetano in 1998, and the GOP has picked up seven more seats in the House to form a minority of 19, the most the party has had since 1954.
Lingle intends to run for governor again, and no other prominent Republican has emerged to challenge her. That means she will likely be sitting on a reserve of campaign money while Democratic candidates burn resources for the primary election.
The Democrats' post-primary unity appears to depend heavily on how the candidates' campaigns are run. The best strategy for the party, many say, is to stick to policy issues rather than personal attacks that could haunt the winning Democratic candidate in the general election race.
"I've talked to both leading candidates, and they realize that we need to focus on the issues," said Hawai'i Democratic Party chairwoman Lorraine Akiba. "Whoever is the winner of the primary will need to have the support of the other to go on to the general for what really counts, the very important outcome in November."
Former lawmaker Annelle Amaral was a young Democrat and a political appointee of Ariyoshi when she told the second-term governor she could not help him in his re-election bid because she supported King, his opponent. She gave him a letter of resignation. Ariyoshi kept her on his staff for five more years, until the end of his third term.
"He never made it uncomfortable," she said. "I think it says something about the way politics in Hawai'i is. The politics, like island living, is long term. You gotta have your vision on long term, not just the silly stuff that happens day to day."
You can e-mail Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or call 525-8070.
