Inouye, Akaka deny undue influence in race for governor

By Susan Roth
Advertiser Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — Hawai'i's senators said they have not played any role in determining who will run for governor as a Democrat this year and that they have not encouraged anyone to get in or out of the race.

In an interview Friday, as they were preparing to return to Hawai'i for a week's congressional recess, both Sen. Daniel Inouye and Sen. Daniel Akaka said they were not endorsing or assisting any Democratic candidate until after the September primary.

Specifically, they said they did not suggest to banker Walter Dods, who is a friend of both men, that he consider running for governor. Dods considered entering the race after the withdrawal of Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris at the end of May, but last week said he would not run, citing family considerations.

"I did not discuss this matter with Walter Dods until he called me a couple of hours before he announced that he would not run," Inouye said. "I obviously knew he was thinking about it, but I would never encourage anyone on a matter of this magnitude. Seeking this high an office is a decision one must make himself."

The senators also said concerns about disarray in the Hawai'i Democratic Party had been overstated, despite the turmoil following the withdrawal of Harris, who was considered the front-runner. Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono, state Rep. Ed Case and businessman D.G. "Andy" Anderson are running in the Democratic primary.

Inouye and Akaka said they remain confident that Democrats will retain the governor's office in November, and they brushed aside poll results that have put Republican Linda Lingle far ahead.

"I'm not concerned because it's rather early," Inouye said. "At about the same time in the (Ben) Cayetano race in 1998, he was behind by 30 points, and at the same time in 1990, (John) Waihee was 40 points behind. At this time of the year, what shows up in polls is the Republicans' solid base, but the undecideds lean toward Democrats more than Republicans."

Akaka recalled that at this point in his own race for the Senate seat in 1990, he was 10 points behind Republican Pat Saiki, and he later won by 10 points.

"I was supposed to lose," Akaka said. "No one is invincible. There's an eternity between now and Nov. 5. The race will tighten, and we will have a good, substantive discussion of the issues and get a Democratic vision of the future."

The senators differed in their reaction to Harris' departure from the race, though both said they respected his decision.

"I was surprised," Inouye said. He said he had met with Harris just a few weeks earlier on his way back to Washington from a congressional trip to China, and that Harris gave no hint that he was considering dropping out. "I assumed everything was in place and was moving along."

But Akaka said he was not surprised by Harris' move, "because of everything that was going on and because he couldn't get his message out and set the tone for his own campaign."

The gubernatorial campaign has been infused with intrigue on the Democratic side since last fall, when Hirono — Harris' most formidable primary challenger — announced she would drop out of the governor's race and run for Honolulu mayor. She jumped back into the governor's race when Harris quit.

Political observers assumed that Hirono was directed by powers within the party to step aside to give Harris a clear shot. Harris later said that Hirono had been told to get out of the race.

Hirono has repeatedly denied that she was told to quit the governor's race — or to get back in.

Asked about the extent of their involvement in the governor's race, and specifically about Hirono, Inouye and Akaka said they had never talked to her about getting in or out of the race.

Inouye, the most powerful figure in the state Democratic Party, said he would not give his blessing to any candidate before the primary.

"I'll be doing my best to help the winner of the primary," he said.

Reach Susan Roth at sroth@gns.gannett.com.