ANALYSIS
Harris' setback may just be a speed bump

By Kevin Dayton
Advertiser Capitol Bureau Chief

As Jeremy Harris' gubernatorial campaign suffered another stinging legal and political setback last week, some anxious Democrats floated the names of potential candidates who might be able to carry the party forward if Harris is forced to quit.

Mayor Jeremy Harris temporarily halted his gubernatorial campaign earlier this week. Advertiser library photo

With Harris temporarily halting his campaign in response to a Circuit Court ruling this week, it is easy to forget the mayor has almost 20 times as much money as his best financed Democratic opponent, and faces no serious challenge in the gubernatorial primary.

Harris' most dangerous Democratic rival was dispatched in November when Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono left the race, and it isn't likely at this late date that another Democrat could raise the millions of dollars and mobilize the political troops it would take to defeat Harris in the September primary.

Mufi Hannemann, who ran unsuccessfully against Harris in the mayor's race in 2000, said Harris still has an extraordinary advantage given the $1 million in his campaign war chest and the ways he can use his office to stay in the public eye.

"That's what killed us, we could never compete with that," Hannemann said of the 2000 campaign.

To be sure, Judge Sabrina McKenna hurt Harris last week by ruling that the state Constitution does not allow him to serve as mayor and run for governor at the same time. Harris suspended his campaign while he appeals the issue to the state Supreme Court, but the setback is temporary: If the court is slow to consider the appeal, Harris can always resign as mayor and campaign full-time for governor. To continue his campaign he must resign in July in any event, and after almost eight years as mayor, the loss of a few months in office would not be critical.

Still, the events of last week caused sweaty palms in Democratic Party circles, where names such as state Senate Vice President Colleen Hanabusa; Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustee Clayton Hee; and Walter Dods, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of First Hawaiian Bank, were again mentioned as players who might step in to pick up the pieces if Harris collapses.

Experienced Democrats doubt that will happen. In a sense McKenna's ruling that Harris should have resigned as mayor last year was the price the mayor paid for a relatively easy primary.

The lawsuit was triggered by Harris' early plunge into the governor's race just 98 days after he was re-elected mayor in 2000. That early entry into the race was a calculated move by Harris to sop up campaign contributions and tag support groups as his own before any hungry Democratic rival could tap those same groups.

Harris must have known this would prompt criticism, and in fact it prompted former state Sen. Russell Blair to sue to try to force Harris to resign as mayor, citing the resign-to-run provision of the state Constitution. But as a tactical move, Harris' early entry into the governor's race did what it was supposed to do. It helped to force Hirono out of the race, partly because she couldn't raise the money she needed to fuel her campaign.

The architects, engineers and contractors and other major donors who pour millions of dollars into political campaigns in Hawai'i had already sided with Harris, meaning Hirono was certain to be outspent. And after supporting Harris for years at City Hall and investing in his latest campaign, those donors aren't likely to suddenly change course to support someone else now.

Harris is also contending with a high-profile investigation into illegal contributions to his 2000 mayoral campaign, with the case referred to the city prosecutor's office for authorities there to decide if criminal charges are warranted.

Harris has said publicly he has considered abandoning his bid for governor because of his troubles, but Democrats who know him scoff at the idea that he ever seriously considered withdrawing from the campaign. They believe those public statements and his announcement that he wears a bulletproof vest were meant to win public sympathy and convince the voters he is a victim of unfair attacks.

Indeed, some of Harris' supporters predict a groundswell of public sympathy if — as they expect — Harris wins more rounds in court in the coming weeks as he did last Monday, when a federal judge overruled the state Campaign Spending Commission and allowed Harris to raise more money from large contributors.

With a few more court victories like that, it may not matter much that the Campaign Spending Commission has fined nine companies for donating more than the legally allowed amounts to Harris' 2000 mayoral campaign. So, smack in the middle of the turmoil last week, Harris used his Tuesday press conference on the steps of Honolulu Hale to try to regain control of the political message, pledging to stick to the political high road while unnamed conspirators attack him and try to derail his campaign.

Harris' allegation that Democrats are targeting him is puzzling to some within the party, especially since Harris has the obvious support of the major traditional Democratic money donors, and has the vocal backing of the likes of state Democratic Party Chairwoman Lorraine Akiba and U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye.

Harris wouldn't comment on who he believes is erecting roadblocks to hurt his campaign.

"I'll leave all speculation to the good investigative reporters in town," he said.

The message that Harris is unfairly under attack seems plausible to some voters, such as Kaka'ako retiree Grover Wallace, 65.

"The fact that they've waited until now to bring all this up, it casts a real odor on it as far as I'm concerned," Wallace said of the resign-to-run issue and the fund-raising investigation. "In political campaigns, it's been my 50 years experience that when they're in the heat of the campaign, I don't pay any attention to all the crap that comes out, and all the mud that they stir up."

Others are more skeptical about Harris' claim that his difficulties come from unnamed enemies who are targeting him. Zyola Mix Phillips, a 31-year-old 'Aiea resident, said she doesn't doubt that someone is out to "get" Harris, but the mayor should have known better than to give ammunition to his enemies.

"Duh, he's a politician. I'm not surprised, but I don't think that's an excuse," Phillips said. "If he was hiding things and screwing up, well then, that's his own fault. ... He's a politician. There's always somebody out to get a politician."