As politicians go, Bob Hogue has been more like an umpire than a heavy-hitter. Friendly, disarming and unpretentious, the Windward O'ahu state senator and sports columnist has a keen sense of justice and fair play.

He enjoys high name recognition with Hawai'i voters, partly from the many years he worked here as a television sportscaster before entering politics. He's also a certified public accountant.

On the Senate floor, Hogue could be outspoken and adamant without being shrill. Behind the scenes, he could be a peacemaker among fractious colleagues. He's vowed to run a positive campaign and said he strongly believes politics needs to include more positive attitudes and messages.

Hogue has steered clear of scandal and intrigue at the Capitol and said he's strived to represent his constituents wisely and respectfully.

"I'm just proud that I went there and served them, and not special interests, and didn't get myself involved in some sort of political back-biting and closed-door type of thing that you always hear about legislators getting involved in," he said.

After serving two terms, he now hopes to become the first Republican to represent Hawai'i's 2nd Congressional District, which includes Central, Leeward, Windward and North Shore O'ahu and the Neighbor Islands.

Hogue's opponent in the Sept. 23 Republican primary election is former state Rep. Quentin Kawananakoa. Ten Democrats are also competing against one another for that party's nomination. Winners from each party will face off in the Nov. 7 general election.

Hogue's campaign had raised about $30,000 by July, according to the Federal Election Commission. That's not much for a congressional race, but Hogue said he's making the most of it and running an aggressive grassroots campaign.

'WE CAN STAND UP'

The political power of Hawai'i's Republicans has been sharply limited in a Legislature long dominated by Democrats, so it's not easy to weigh Hogue's tangible accomplishments there. But he and other Republicans have not been shy about making their voices heard.

"When we have good ideas, they get gobbled up," Hogue said. "But we speak for the average person out there, and when legislation would move forward that might be headed in the wrong direction, or might not be the best idea, we can stand up and make that point, and I think that's one of the things we do very effectively."

Hogue moved to Hawai'i from California 18 years ago, but his family roots here run deeper. His mother grew up in Manoa Valley and attended Punahou School, his parents were married here before moving to California, and his sister was born here.

Hogue's memories of Hawai'i date back to frequent childhood visits that sometimes lasted for months, and his grandparents' old home in Manoa is still standing.

"I remember the walks to Manoa Falls, taking the bus to Waikiki, learning how to bodysurf out in front of the Royal Hawaiian, all that kind of stuff," he said. "It was absolutely fantastic. Essentially, Honolulu was our second home."

Hogue first ran for elective office after he was dismissed from his sportscaster job at KHON 2 in late 1999. At the time, he said he felt "like the old quarterback who has led his team several times to Super Bowl contention and then been told one of the young guys is going to replace him."

"I was let go," Hogue said last week. "I loved the job. I loved working there. I had great relationships with ... all the people involved at the station. They decided to go in a different direction. I was greatly disappointed that they made that decision, but I had to move on with my life."

Hogue sued KHON nearly three years later, alleging age and race discrimination. He was 49 when the station dismissed him, and is Caucasian. Hogue said he remains very satisfied with the terms of a confidential agreement that settled the case out of court.

Hogue won his first Senate race less then a year after he left KHON, and continues to write a sports column for Midweek, an O'ahu newspaper.

COALITION SUPPORT

Sen. Sam Slom, perhaps the Senate's most outspoken Republican, said Hogue has been a peacemaker and coalition-builder.

"Bob was not into the power game and all that," said Slom, R-8th (Hawai'i Kai, 'Aina Haina, Kahala, Diamond Head). "He was always, I think, looking for coalition support, bipartisan support. He always did his homework, and he was very deliberate in looking over issues."

Slom noted that the Senate's five Republicans are notorious around the Capitol for their tendency to sometimes operate as five separate factions, but said Hogue has always been respectful when he disagreed with the others.

"He's shown the ability to take hard positions, and also to be consistent, even when it may not be the most popular thing to do," said Slom, who has endorsed Hogue for the primary.

Among the 10 Democrats and two Republicans running for the 2nd Congressional District, Hogue has most sharply questioned Sen. Daniel Akaka's proposal to grant federal recognition to Native Hawaiians.

Hogue said he supports the concept of recognition but believes the Akaka bill is too broad, and that all Hawai'i's residents should have a say in the matter.

"The Akaka bill, as it was written, is very vague in its wording as to the governance issue," he said. "As I went out and talked to a lot of people, people were saying, 'How does this work with property rights, with jurisdiction?' There was a great deal of concern about it."

The Akaka bill would establish a process for federal recognition of a Native Hawaiian governing entity, which could then negotiate with the state and federal governments for rights to property and revenue, and responsibilities. The bill does not immediately grant recognition or specific rights or jurisdictions.