State's No. 1 job in Lingle's sights after easy victory

By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writer

Linda Lingle voted early yesterday. She took an early and wide lead that put her solidly in the general election. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

"We're going to come out very strong, and we're going to be working very hard," said Lingle, who voted at McKinley High School early yesterday before visiting a job fair and rallying with other Republicans at the party's Kapi'olani Boulevard headquarters.

More than 150 supporters gathered last night at Lingle's campaign headquarters for the victory they knew she would win by a huge margin.

Lingle crushed a feeble challenge from former Sen. John Carroll, who was supported by a more conservative GOP faction and won only a sliver of the vote.

If successful in the general election Nov. 5, Lingle would become Hawai'i's first Republican governor in 40 years.

The former Maui mayor lost her first run for governor to Democrat Ben Cayetano by a razor-thin margin in 1998.

"He wasn't really my opponent," Lingle said. "My opponent was the power structure. I was competing with a power structure that wanted to keep things the way they are, and it's the same now."

Lingle said criticism that she had ducked debates with the Democratic candidates before the primary were unfounded because it was they who were running against one another.

"It doesn't make sense for me to debate three Democrats," she said. "They're not my opponents."

Now that she will face a single gubernatorial candidate, Lingle said she was scheduled to debate at more than 20 forums before the general election, sponsored by groups including the Building Industry Association, the AARP and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

"I've told them I'm looking forward to it, and now the pressure will shift to the Democrats," she said.

Lingle stresses that her campaign relies on grassroots support from a wide cross section of voters statewide.

But the campaign is also clearly banking on the solid advantage Lingle has with campaign cash. The campaign raised far more money than any of Lingle's Democratic rivals, and has spent about $3 million on the race so far.

The campaign had more than $500,000 left when the latest contribution and expenditure statements were filed earlier this month, and Lingle said she will hold major fund-raising events to raise more cash for the general election.

"We will continue to raise funds throughout the campaign," she said. "We know the Democrats are going to come hard-hitting like they did in the last campaign."

Democrats have had a hard time raising money to fend off Lingle this year amid an embarrassing criminal investigation into Mayor Jeremy Harris' fund-raising efforts.

Harris, who was considered the Democrats' front-runner, launched an early drive to rake in cash from the party's heavyweight supporters, only to drop out of the race in May.

Lingle said she expects to pit her message against a barrage of advertisements paid for independently by traditional Democratic supporters.

"I'm not just having to match spot for spot with the candidate, but with an entire power structure that's been in place for decades and is not going to give up easily," she said.

Reach Johnny Brannon at 525-8070 or jbrannon@honoluluadver tiser.com.