EDITORIAL
Lingle spending adds pressure for reform

Add to the list of items that gave Republican Linda Lingle an advantage over Democrat Mazie Hirono in last year's campaign for governor the word "money."

Lingle spent well over twice as much as Hirono, and in so doing, set a record for spending by a single candidate in a Hawai'i governor's race. Since she received fewer votes than she did the first time around, it's likely that Lingle set a cost-per-vote record in a statewide race.

This all-out spending war will produce the usual complaints about the high cost of campaigning. And those complaints remain valid.

Raising and spending this much money does little good for anyone. The candidates do not enjoy the work involved in raising the dough, and most contributors — at least the big ones — derive little enjoyment from coughing up all that cash.

It's undoubtedly true that many of the small donors to Lingle's campaign did so out of genuine enthusiasm for her candidacy. They will feel they got their money's worth if she follows through on her promises.

Even some of the larger contributors may have felt their money was well spent to get a different political perspective in the governor's seat.

But surely, some of those who gave expect something in return, if only access to plead their case. That's the subtle corrosive power of large-scale campaign spending.

As a practical matter, it should not take $5.4 million to mount a campaign for governor in tiny Hawai'i. Four years ago, Lingle stood on principle, held back her spending and ... lost. So one can hardly blame her for taking a different approach this time around.

But unless something is done to rein in spending, this year's record will be broken once again in the next election and then again and again. Ideally, Hawai'i will move toward some form of publicly financed elections.