COMMENTARY
Former governor may give Democrats a dose of fresh energy
By Bob Dye
With Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris suddenly out of the governor's race and Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono back in it within minutes of the blockbuster announcement, Gov. Ben Cayetano opined that there might be even more candidates jumping in.
Not me, said Dan Akaka. Hawai'i's other Democratic U.S. senator, Dan Inouye, said other candidates might emerge, and joked that he might enter the race himself.
The two contenders who have been in this governor's race the longest say they welcome any and all competition. But D.G. "Andy" Anderson says he doesn't expect anyone else to jump in, while Ed Case says he wants the opponents to file so debates on issues can begin statewide.
With Harris staying at Honolulu Hale, Duke Bainum and Mufi Hannemann, like Hirono, had no mayoral race. Might not they, too, consider a race for governor?
(The other Democratic candidate for the nonpartisan mayoral job, Keith Kaneshiro, said he was interested in no other office.)
The departure of the well-financed Harris campaign changes the odds. Folks who couldn't compete against a candidate with more than $1 million in his war chest now might have a chance.
Hannemann has a half-million dollars in his campaign account, dedicated troops and a pocketful of labor endorsements. He repeatedly has told me his chances of winning the mayor's race were excellent. He said he was certain he would outpoll Hirono.
Hannemann got short shrift at the recently concluded Democratic Party convention. At the same time, it's no secret that the Republicans politically lust after him. Among them, he is mentioned as a possible running mate for Linda Lingle, or as a congressional candidate against Patsy Mink. With his former Honolulu City Council colleague John DeSoto joining the Lingle camp, many in the GOP hope Hannemann follows.
Like Hannemann, Bainum ran a highly visible campaign for mayor. His early objective of increasing name recognition was achieved. He has to be considered a viable contender. But odds are he will sit this one out and make a bid for mayor in two years.
State Sen. Matt Matsunaga, son of the late Sen. Spark Matsunaga, D-Hawai'i, was looking seriously at a run for lieutenant governor. When councilman and lieutenant governor candidate Jon Yoshimura ran into trouble, people began talking about a new "dream ticket" of Harris and Matsunaga. But with the main man gone, Matsunaga boosters are now touting him for governor. Will he inherit the Harris juggernaut? My guess is that with Harris out of the mix, even Matsunaga's chances for becoming lieutenant governor are diminished.
Will other candidates for lieutenant governor show up? A couple of them can now afford a primary contest against the moderately financed candidates left in the race. Clayton Hee garnered 156,000 votes statewide in the last Office of Hawaiian Affairs contest. He considered going for governor but couldn't hope to match the fund-raising of Harris. Now, against Anderson, Case and Hirono, his supporters are reassessing his chances. Hee is a friend and ally of Gov. Cayetano.
A possible contender who already has virtually total name recognition, the ability to raise big bucks here and away, and experience in the job is former two-term Democratic Gov. John Waihee. The youngest man, at 40, to be elected governor of the state, he has the charisma and political skills to retake the office.
"Governor of Hawai'i is the best political job in the United States," he told me last year. "Every other office is a step down." Is he ready to return to the political arena? I asked. "I believe politics is a noble profession," he answered. Then he added, "Lingle lacks the soul to be governor of this state. She has no message for our people."
Currently a lawyer with a politically well-connected Washington law firm, Waihee never lost his enthusiasm for politics. His rise to political eminence was meteoric. Elected to the state Constitutional Convention of 1978, he led the movement to place the "Hawaiian amendments" in the state constitution. He was elected to the state House, and after serving one two-year term, he was twice elected lieutenant governor. In 1986, he won the governorship and was returned to office four years later.
A Waihee fan reminds me that it was Anderson, then a Republican, whom Waihee beat for governor in 1990. Anderson "was the toughest political opponent I ever faced," Waihee said. In the Democratic primary that year, with the support of outgoing Gov. George Ariyoshi and Inouye, Waihee upset wealthy congressman Cec Heftel.
Now in his early 50s, Waihee has matured gracefully into a statesman. Gone are the palaka shirts and impish humor, although he still has a mischievous streak.
When I ask him if he will run for governor this year, he answers with ambiguity.
While Democratic voters are wondering which of the three announced candidates can beat Republican Linda Lingle, few of them will doubt Waihee can do the job.
A Waihee candidacy would revitalize the Democrats. After the convention, reality stared them in the face. If the general election were held today, Lingle would win, pols guess and polls say.
But if Waihee runs, new polls will be taken.
Bob Dye is a Kailua-based writer and historian.
