Lingle easily won the GOP nomination in her bid for a second and final four-year term.

Iwase will have an uphill battle in the Nov. 7 general election against Lingle, who has raised millions of dollars for her campaign war chest and has history on her side.

Hawai'i has re-elected an incumbent governor since 1962 when the previous GOP governor, the late William Quinn, lost in his re-election bid to John Burns.

Since then, Democrats controlled the governorship until Lingle defeated Democratic candidate Mazie Hirono in 2002.

Iwase said he was "very pleased" with the results, which he attributed to the hard work of his "grass-roots" campaign.

He acknowledged that he's an underdog against Lingle. But he said Burns also was considered an underdog before he defeated Quinn.

"We feel very energized by the results thus far, and we're going to keep campaigning," he said.

Aila was at his home at Lualualei Homestead Road with about 200 supporters who grew quiet when the first results were announced.

He said he'll support Iwase in the general election and thinks the Democratic candidate can win.

"I think Randy can beat Lingle if the Democratic Party comes together," he said. "I think I could beat Lingle if the Democratic Party comes together."

Lingle last night thanked supporters at her campaign headquarters on Kapi'olani Boulevard.

"If you want to go back to the way things were years ago, you vote for our opponent. If you want to keep Hawai'i moving forward, you would vote Lingle-Aiona."

In the lieutenant governor's Democratic race, former state Sen. Malama Solomon defeated three other candidates — lifeguard instructor Miles Shiratori, public-interest lawyer David Henkin and state park caretaker Michael Mook.

Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona, 51, ran unopposed to join Lingle on the Republican ticket.

Solomon, 55, a state senator from 1982 to 1998 and an Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee from 1980 to 1982, will join Iwase on the Democratic ticket.

Iwase, 58, raised more money than Aila and had more name recognition than the Wai'anae Boat Harbor master, who was running for elective office for the first time. Iwase resigned his job as chairman of the state Labor and Industrial Relations Appeals Board to underscore his commitment in running for governor.

A member of the Honolulu City Council from 1985 to 1988 and a state senator who represented the Mililani area from 1990 to 2000, Iwase raised more than $236,000, according to his latest campaign spending report.

The amount is still a fraction of the record-breaking $6 million Lingle raised for her re-election, the most for an election here.

Meanwhile, Aila, 48, who characterized himself as a working-class candidate focusing on grass-roots support, raised about $46,000. Aila has been active in community affairs for years and gained the support of the Sierra Club Hawai'i chapter.