Howard Dean to address Hawai'i Democrats

By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

Former presidential candidate Howard Dean will speak at the Hawai'i Democratic state convention next weekend, party chairman Alex Santiago said yesterday.

Dean, former Vermont governor, will address Hawai'i Democrats on May 29, the second day of the convention at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel.

"He's going to light a fire under a lot of people," Santiago said. "He had a tremendous following here in Hawai'i. He has struck a nerve in the Democratic party that I think resounds loudly with a lot of us hard-core Democrats."

Santiago said Dean was among the high-profile Democrats invited to speak at the convention. The party also invited presidential candidate John Kerry and New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, but there were scheduling and other difficulties, he said.

Joshua Wisch, who headed Dean's presidential campaign efforts in Hawai'i, said Dean is coming to Hawai'i specifically for the convention and will be here for a couple of days. Wisch said Dean's visit will likely include meeting with his key campaign supporters here.

Dean came to Hawai'i last year to repatriate the remains of his brother, but put his campaign on hold during the visit.

He dropped out of the presidential race in February, a week before the Hawai'i Democratic presidential preference poll, which determines the percentage of pledged delegate votes each candidate will receive from Hawai'i in the Democratic National Convention this summer.

Kerry won most of the votes in Hawai'i's preference poll, followed by longshot candidate Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich. Dean was fourth after North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, who also dropped out of the race.

Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 525-8070.