Posted on: Tuesday, October 1, 2002
Teachers withholding endorsement for governor
By Kevin Dayton
Advertiser Capitol Bureau Chief
The Hawaii State Teachers Association will not endorse any candidate in the race for governor this year, meaning one of the largest and most respected public worker unions is essentially sitting out the gubernatorial election.
The no-endorsement decision by 12,000-member HSTA is ironic as polls show voters believe education is one of the most important issues of this year's campaign.
Republican Linda Lingle and Democrat Mazie Hirono both said the union officials told them HSTA will not make an endorsement in the governor's race, although the union is endorsing candidates in legislative and other races.
HSTA's decision is important because the teachers traditionally have been a major source of campaign volunteers and other assistance for candidates, usually Democrats.
The endorsement of the teachers' union is eagerly sought after because the public has a particularly high regard for teachers, and politicians believe a teachers' union endorsement influences the votes of parents and others outside the union.
Lingle said she was notified of the union's plans on Friday by HSTA President Karen Ginoza and said it is good news for her campaign.
"I think it's positive because there won't be resources put behind my opponent; the leadership won't be able to use the members' money to do that because there will be an open endorsement," Lingle said. "It also allows the members of the union to feel freer to come out and to help me and to get involved with my campaign."
Hirono said her understanding was she could not be endorsed because she and her lieutenant governor running mate, Matt Matsunaga, missed the deadline to apply for the endorsement.
"I've always had the support of HSTA in all of my elections so I'm going to continue to work and support them as I have been doing because you know how strong I am on public schools and the teachers," Hirono said.
Danielle Lum, communications specialist for HSTA, declined to discuss HSTA's endorsement plans for the governor's race yesterday because the union is still polling its members to determine if they support the endorsement recommendations of the union board of directors. She said HSTA expects to announce its general election endorsements Oct. 14.
However, Lum did say applications for the union endorsement for governor were due in February or March. Hirono was running for Honolulu mayor at the time, and did not re-enter the governor's race until May. Matsunaga did not formally announce he would run for lieutenant governor until July.
The HSTA endorsed Gov. Ben Cayetano for re-election in 1998 in a controversial decision that triggered an angry response from some teachers. Teachers on Maui and elsewhere argued a majority of the union members surveyed had wanted to endorse Lingle, but the union leadership overrode them.
After the 1998 election the union overhauled its political endorsement process, in part because of the controversy over the Cayetano endorsement, Lum said.
This year union leaders began interviewing candidates in February to make recommendations for primary election endorsements to the state political action committee, which then had the option of either accepting those recommendations or making changes, Lum said.
The proposed endorsements are then submitted to the state board of directors, which considered them and submitted them to the teachers for "affirmation," Lum said.
Lum said the union has declined to make an endorsement in the governor's race in the past. HSTA declined to endorse in 1986, when John Waihee emerged from a three-way primary to run against then-Republican D.G. "Andy" Anderson, she said.
Lingle said the fact that HSTA will not endorse this year "shows that they very aware of the support I have among the membership. It's not total support. I'm sure there are people who don't agree with some of my ideas. But I think it's substantial support."
