Updated at 2:12 p.m., Monday, September 10, 2007
Saiki, Djou, Aiona to lead Giuliani's Hawaii campaign
Advertiser Staff
Former Republican congresswoman Pat Saiki, Honolulu City Councilmember Charles Djou and former state GOP chairman Sam Aiona will lead Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign in the Islands.Saiki will serve as state chair while Djou and Aiona will be vice chairs.
"Mayor Rudy Giuliani is a true leader that has proven he has the executive experience to be president," Saiki said in a statement released by the Giuliani campaign. "The people of Hawai'i want a strong leader they can trust and Rudy is the one candidate that we know we can trust to run the country."
Giuliani, a former New York mayor, is facing former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona and former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee, among others, for the Republican nomination.
"Whether we like it or not, the world is still a dangerous place, and I think we want somebody in the Oval Office who is cool on his feet under pressure, who can handle a crisis, and, I think, that's America's mayor, Rudy Giuliani," Djou said.
Djou said Giuliani's record in New York on reducing crime, holding down government spending, cutting taxes, and his moderate social views fit within the Islands.