Posted on: Tuesday, June 8, 2004

EDITORIAL
A busy political season

Don't look now, but an election is sneaking up on you.

If you doubt that the campaign season is already up and running, just look back at two recent Honolulu gatherings.

The first was the state convention of Democrats, who heard a rousing speech by former presidential candidate Howard Dean and celebrated the 50th anniversary of the electoral "revolution" that launched them into power.

The Democrats were quickly followed by energized Republicans, who — with a popular governor leading their party for the first time since 1962 — are sensing the possibility of a political revolution of their own.

The battleground here will be in the 51 state House races, where Democrats hope to retain their majority and Republicans seek enough new faces to, if not take over the House, at least make it impossible for Democrats to override vetos.

Watch and listen carefully over the next several months. There will be a lot of promises, a lot of rhetoric. It's worth paying extra attention; the stakes are very high.