Harris urged to give back campaign cash
By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writer
The biggest problem Hawai'i's Democratic gubernatorial candidates face is a lack of campaign cash, and Mayor Jeremy Harris should move quickly to return the money he raised for his aborted run for governor so contributors can use it to support someone else, Gov. Ben Cayetano said.
No other major Democratic candidate is likely to join current contenders D.G. "Andy" Anderson, Ed Case and Mazie Hirono, Cayetano said. Harris can't use his contributions for a federal race and would not have another chance to run for governor until 2006.
"He won't have any use for that money and he should give it back to the contributors as soon as possible so that some of the other Democrats can try to get some contributions from these contributors," said Cayetano. "If Jeremy Harris decides to run for any other office in the future there will be a time and a place for him to go and raise money again."
Harris' campaign said on Monday that some money would be returned to contributors after all campaign bills were paid, but that no time frame had yet been developed. The campaign could not say yesterday how much money was left or how much it expected to pay for legal fees or other expenses.
By Dec. 31, when the most recent campaign disclosure reports were filed, Harris reported raising $1,032,799, far more than any other Democratic or Republican candidate. He dropped out of the race last week, citing polls that showed a steep drop in support.
"I have directed the campaign attorneys and accountants to review this issue and advise a course of action that is in compliance with all regulations and within the timetable established by law," Harris said yesterday in a written statement.
Top Republican contender Linda Lingle had $561,688 by Dec. 31, and her GOP rival John Carroll had $1,629. Among Democrats, Anderson had $1,904, Case had $58,500, and Hirono — who was then running for mayor — had $231,372.
"Their main weakness is a lack of campaign funds," Cayetano, a Democrat, said of his party mates.
To avoid any legal snags, the Harris campaign said Monday it would present its contributor refund plan to the state Campaign Spending Commission before returning any money.
Commission director Robert Watada said it would likely take one day to review the proposal, and that he would be glad to assist when the campaign is ready.
Commission records show that Cayetano had $42,035 left over from his 1998 campaign by Dec. 31. He said the campaign had paid some bills since then and would present the remainder to the Hawai'i Election Campaign Fund, which finances the commission and its regulatory activities.
The law allows candidates to retain campaign funds for up to four years and apply them toward other county and state races in which they are a candidate, but the money cannot be directly given to another candidate. Up to $25,000 can be donated to a political party.
Reach Johnny Brannon at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.
