Lingle to stump for president after attending debate

Advertiser Staff

Gov. Linda Lingle will attend tonight's televised debate between President Bush and Sen. John Kerry on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, then is expected to spend a couple of days campaigning for Bush, although she hasn't been told where.

Lingle, who left last night, said the Bush-Cheney campaign is paying for the trip.

She will return to Hawai'i late Saturday following a brief visit to a youth correctional facility in Salt Lake City, Utah. That's where six Hawai'i girls have been living since late last month. They had previously been wards at the Hawai'i Youth Correctional Facility in Kailua.

Immediately following the debate, Lingle is expected to appear on a number of television shows giving her impressions of the verbal match.

Lingle said she'd like to see Bush take Hawai'i's electoral votes.

"I think the race is very close in Hawai'i," she said. "I think the president has a very good chance of winning. I think it would be good for our state if he did."

While many analysts indicated that Kerry won the second debate last week, Lingle said it was clear to her that the president looked better.

"I though in the second debate he clearly beat John Kerry regardless of what you hear (from) the mainstream media," she said. "Everyone I talked to thought he did just a great job and thought there was no comparison between him and Kerry."

Lingle said she expects to be on the campaign trail on Bush's behalf through Saturday, although she said she had not been told by campaign managers where those campaign stops would be. Accompanying her is Lenny Klompus, her senior adviser for communications.