Anderson to run for governor, this time as Democrat
By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Capitol Bureau
Longtime Honolulu businessman D.G. "Andy" Anderson ended months of speculation yesterday by announcing he is running for governor as a Democrat.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
Anderson, 71, declared his candidacy at John Dominis, the Kaka'ako restaurant he owns, where he was joined by about 25 supporters.
D.G. "Andy" Anderson, owner of John Dominis restaurant, was a Republican state legislator for 20 years.
He said he considered carefully, while listening to the other candidates, before deciding to run.
"I don't hear the message I want to hear. I hear just more of the same," he said.
Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris and state Rep. Ed Case have said they intend to run as Democrats, and former Maui Mayor Linda Lingle as a Republican.
Anderson, a longtime Republican, served for 20 years in the Legislature and was city managing director under Mayor Frank Fasi.
He said he is running as a Democrat because he believes in the party's goals and concern for social issues. In response to critics who said he was switching parties out of political expediency, Anderson said he was not ducking a Republican primary battle with Lingle, a well-financed candidate narrowly defeated in the 1998 race.
"I quit the Republican party seven years ago. I never once sat around and said, 'Could I beat Linda Lingle?' I think their agenda is too narrow."
Anderson said he has a reputation as a businessman and a risk-taker, and also someone who can bring people together. "The governor is going to have to somehow regain the trust of the community," he said.
Anderson, who has worked as a real estate developer, said he would try to diversify the economy and create a business-friendly environment.
Supporters at yesterday's announcement included former Democratic Party Chairman Walter Heen, former University of Hawai'i President Fujio Matsuda, Hawaiian activist Dennis "Bumpy" Kanahele and former Campbell Estate trustee Fred Trotter.
"You don't make this kind of decision at my age without giving it a lot of thought," Anderson said. "I have done well in this state. I have worked hard. In all of my years — born, raised and educated in Hawai'i — my years in government, I have never seen our state in such turmoil as it is right now."
He said the state can live up to its enormous potential. "But we don't use our people; we don't maximize our talent. Instead we find ways to fight, we find ways to divide, and we find ways not to bring our people together."
Harris campaign co-chairman Rick Tsujimura said of Anderson's switch in parties, "I just don't think that one can run away from his political past. He was a Republican for almost five decades. It must have served him well."
