Because the prosecutor's race features two candidates in the city's so-called special election format, the person who gets the most votes on primary night will win the job.

Yesterday was the deadline for candidates and noncandidate committees to submit their latest campaign spending reports to the state Campaign Spending Commission.

In the Waipahu—Pearl City state Senate primary, Sen. Cal Kawamoto reported $219,362 on hand, far overpowering opponent Clarence Nishihara's $11,690.

The Republican Party of Hawai'i has outspent the Democratic Party of Hawai'i in their coordinated campaigns, but the Democrats have a little more stored away, heading into the Sept. 18 primary election.

With the GOP seeking to carve a larger share of the Legislature, both of Hawai'i's major parties have spent heavily on behalf of their candidates.

The GOP reported total expenditures of $391,245 during the noncandidate committee reporting period, Jan. 1 to Sept. 3. It received $403,896 and had a closing balance of $180,130.

The Democrats spent $325,595 during the same nine-month period. The party received $532,286 and had a closing balance of $216,750.

The Democrats received a larger share of contributions from unions, while the Republicans generally received more corporate contributions.

A good part of the war chests for the two parties went toward paying compensation to key campaign staffers and office expenses.