Posted on: Friday, May 31, 2002

Hirono back in race for governor

•	Mayor Harris withdraws from governor's race
•	Mayor's campaign troubled from start
•	Lingle says no change in strategy
•	Mayoral hopefuls left without a race
•	Campaign investigation made 'bad publicity'
•	Democrats scramble to move into position
•	Reshaping Hawai'i's political landscape:
•	Major events in Jeremy Harris' effort to run for governor
•	Lee Cataluna: Democrats search for real leader
•	Interactive/Multimedia: Video of Harris announcement (courtesy of KHNL-News8) Do you think the mayor made the right decision? Take our survey. Join our discussion. • Submit a letter to the editor.

By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser City Hall Writer

Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono, who quit her quest for governor to run for Honolulu mayor, announces she is back in the governor's race. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono, who dropped out of the governor's race in November to run for Honolulu mayor, yesterday backtracked and returned to the governor's race 30 minutes after Mayor Jeremy Harris announced he wouldn't run.

Hirono is nearing the end of her second term as lieutenant governor. Until late last year, she had been working hard to succeed her boss, Gov. Ben Cayetano, as the last three of her predecessors had done.

In November, with polls showing her behind the well-financed Harris, she surprised the political establishment by dropping out of the governor's race and shifting to a campaign for a city office for the first time. As a prominent Democrat known statewide, Hirono became an immediate contender in the crowded municipal race, joining Councilman Duke Bainum, former Councilman Mufi Hannemann, former Mayor Frank Fasi.

At the time, she denied she had been pressured by party officials to step aside to make way for Harris.

Harris said yesterday that, in fact, Hirono had been told to get out of the governor race, but she again denied it.

"Nothing could be further from the truth," she said. "No party official asked me to leave."

While Hirono is a popular Democratic candidate who enjoys the support of labor unions and the liberal wing of the party, she will clearly face awkward questions about whether she was being politically opportunistic in her two abrupt changes of course.

"I don't think anyone should question the sincerity of my desire to serve," Hirono said. "I've been doing that for 22 years."

Hirono, 54, an attorney, served in the state Legislature from 1980 to 1994, when she became lieutenant governor.

"At the time that I made my decision to run for mayor, I weighed all of the alternatives, I made my decision on how best I could serve the people," she said. "With this astounding news by the mayor not to run for governor, I've done the same thing. I've weighed the alternatives, and I've made the best decision on how I can serve the people of this state."

Asked what she thought of Harris' statement that he was leaving the race because he doesn't believe he can beat Republican Linda Lingle, Hirono replied: "That was a reason that he gave."

Hirono said that she has picked up grassroots support while running for mayor during the past six months.

"Obviously, there's no mayor's race to run for, my commitment to the people of this state remains strong and I believe that I will be the best candidate to come out ahead in the Democratic primary, in the general election and to lead the state," she said.