Harris to return money collected for campaign
By Johnny Brannon and Kevin Dayton
Advertiser Staff Writers
Now that he's no longer a candidate for governor, Mayor Jeremy Harris will return some of the money he collected from supporters to bankroll his campaign.
Harris had collected $1,032,799 — far more than any other gubernatorial candidate — by the end of December, when the most recent contribution disclosure reports were filed.
Harris quit the race Thurs-day, and campaign officials say they will now work out an equitable formula for returning the money left over after paying the campaign's bills, but that there is not yet a solid time frame for refunds.
"Our first step is to pay off all debts we incurred in the campaign," chief campaign fund-raiser Peter Char said. "Then, we'll develop a plan for returning the remainder that specifies which contributors will have first consideration, because the law doesn't address that complex issue."
The campaign will have to determine whether there should be any preferences for donors who contributed first or gave more money or less, or whether all should get a percentage of whatever is left.
To ensure that any legal questions are answered, Char said the campaign would ask the state Campaign Spending Commission to review and approve the refund plan before it is implemented, and that it could take some time to iron all issues out.
By law, Harris could keep the money for up to four years and roll it into another campaign in which he were a candidate for state or city office, commission director Robert Watada said. The money could not be used for a federal race, but up to $25,000 could be donated to a political party, he said.
If not used for another race or given back to donors, the money must be forfeited to the Hawai'i Election Campaign Fund, which finances the commission.
Harris was the Democratic Party's front-running gubernatorial candidate, and was widely expected to win the Sept. 21 primary election and go on to a fierce battle with GOP rival Linda Lingle.
Both Democrats and Republicans have been wondering what would become of the money Harris raised.
Before Harris' campaign said late yesterday that it would return the money, all three of the remaining major Democratic gubernatorial candidates said it should be refunded.
But some big donors said they were not overly concerned with whether they got the money back.
"As long as he does whatever is legal, that's fine with me," said Kay Muranaka, an engineer who gave Harris $5,675.
Jon Muraoka, also an engineer, gave Harris $6,000 but said he's not in a hurry to get it back.
"I'm fine with them holding on to it," he said. "I was disappointed that he quit the race, but eventually I know he'll be able to run again."
Some top Democrats feel Harris has a moral obligation to give back his campaign cash, and that returning it would encourage contributors to in turn donate to another Democratic candidate — something Harris cannot do directly on any large scale.
Key Republicans, on the other hand, are worried that the money could be used to bash Lingle.
"We're concerned, because he's sitting on a bundle of money with nothing to do," Hawai'i Republican Party chairman Micah Kane said. "That money was raised for his gubernatorial campaign, not to channel it into another entity. We'll continue to watch it and see that it's spent legally."
U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie said there is "a discussion" under way in Democratic Party circles about the money because a contested Democratic primary and a tough general election will be expensive, and people who donated to Harris believed he would use that money to run for governor.
"I don't imagine there's a whole lot of George W. Bush-type people out there who can do that five or six times," Abercrombie said. "I think they probably presumed or were led to believe he would run for governor, and if he decided not to, to sit on the money. I'm just not sure how people would feel about that, particularly in the future."
The question about what will become of Harris' campaign money is "an issue that won't go away very easily," he said. Abercrombie declined to say how he feels about the issue personally because, he said, it doesn't directly affect him.
Democratic candidate D.G. "Andy" Anderson said returning the money could prime a contribution pump that has slowed to a trickle.
"I think it would be good for the giver, and I think it would be good for the system to have it back in circulation," said Anderson, a former state senator who once was chairman of the Hawai'i Republican Party.
He said raising money has been very difficult this year, in part because of the Campaign Spending Commission's widely publicized investigation into Harris' fund raising for his 2000 re-election campaign.
The commission fined several donors for making excess donations to Harris, then asked the city prosecutor's office to investigate whether the campaign circumvented contribution limits by attributing money to people who did not provide it.
"I think the controversy has scared an awful lot of people," Anderson said. "Even giving the legal amount, they're fearful of getting their name in the paper."
Rep. Ed Case, another Democratic gubernatorial hopeful, said he believes any candidate who quits a race should give the money back, not just Harris.
"Historically, candidates have kept the money, but I don't think that's the right way to go," Case said. "I would say the same thing to any other candidate in a similar situation."
Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono, a candidate for governor since Harris quit the race, said the mayor should return money to those who want it back.
"Contributors have the right to ask for their donations back if they want to," she said through a spokeswoman. "Under the circumstances, I would return donations from contributors who make that request."
Reach Johnny Brannon at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070. Reach Kevin Dayton at kdayton@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.
