Early caucuses seek attention
By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Capitol Bureau
In Hawai'i, it's easy to feel left out of the presidential politics while national headlines have focused on states thousands of miles away.
Hawai'i doesn't hold a presidential primary and seeing a major candidate campaigning here is a long shot. Traditionally, the nomination has been sewn up by the time Hawai'i parties formally express their preference, and any action here is usually overshadowed by happenings in larger states.
But Hawai'i Democrats are hoping to have a more meaningful role this year by holding their statewide caucuses on Feb. 24, about a week earlier than usual. That would place the state's Democratic presidential preference polling — open only to card-carrying members of the Hawai'i Democratic Party — before the March 2 "Super Tuesday" when 10 states, including California and New York, hold their primaries and caucuses.
"In the past when we've held our caucus it's been kind of gobbled up and not really noticed," said Alex Santiago, chairman of the Hawai'i Democratic Party. "But because we moved ours up, and I think there's only two other states that are doing it, I'm getting calls from the national newspapers asking us if we would be available that night for comment.
"When we made the decision to move our date up it was based upon a lot of different factors (and) one of the main factors was we would get a lot more attention than we have in the past and put Hawai'i on the map."
Because of Hawai'i's size and distance from the Mainland, presidential candidates typically ignore the Islands on the campaign trail. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, a long shot, was the only Democratic candidate to make a campaign appearance here. Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean came to Hawai'i last year to repatriate the remains of his brother, but put his campaign on hold during the visit.
President Bush held a campaign fund-raiser here during a one-day stopover in October.
The numbers help explain Hawai'i's role in the national picture. Hawai'i Democrats have 20 pledged delegate votes at stake out of a national total of 3,520 pledged votes in the Democratic National Convention in Boston this summer.
New Hampshire has 22 pledged votes, but being the first presidential primary by tradition, it receives a lot of media attention.
But as small as Hawai'i is, Democrats here may garner more national attention because they're sharing their "super Tuesday" Feb. 24 with just two states, Idaho and Utah. The Idaho Democratic caucuses have 18 votes at stake, and the Utah Democratic presidential primary has 23 votes at stake.
While there has been growing pressure within the party to back Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, who leads Dean and North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, Hawai'i's top Democratic elected officials have not collectively chosen a favorite to run against President Bush in November.
Hawai'i's congressional delegation is split. U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye and Rep. Ed Case said it's time to rally around Kerry, but Sen. Dan Akaka is uncommitted and Rep. Neil Abercrombie supports Dean.
Richard Port, former chairman of the Hawai'i Democratic Party, heads the Kerry campaign in Hawai'i, while Honolulu attorney Joshua Wisch leads the Dean campaign. Jill Tokuda, former executive director of the Hawai'i Democratic Party, heads the Edwards campaign.
People may register to vote and join the Hawai'i Democratic Party at the door on Feb. 24 to vote in the preference poll, and may also choose precinct officers and delegates to the state convention.
Those participating in the state convention, set for May 28 to 30, will choose 13 delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Hawai'i's congressional delegation will take four slots, and the party leadership will select another 12 delegates.
Of the 29 total delegates, 20 will be pledged to vote for specific candidates according to the outcome of the presidential preference poll.
Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.
