Hawai'i's 2nd Congressional District candidates disagree on just about everything from the state of the country to the war in Iraq and even whether it's important to live in the U.S. House district they are vying to represent.

Even their styles clash, with Republican Bob Hogue striving to remain positive and connect with the average voter, while Democrat Mazie Hirono presents herself as a fighter who will stand up to the Bush administration.

Nevertheless, the argument was pretty tame as Hirono and Hogue taped a debate last night that some viewers watched live on KHNL's Web site and everyone else can watch at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow on KHNL News 8.

While the two candidates have appeared together in several joint forums over the past few months, this is the first televised debate since the primary election when the field of 12 was narrowed to two.

As such, it will give viewers the opportunity to compare Hirono and Hogue against each other, rather than against other members of their party.

Winning the coin toss, Hogue crammed a lot into his opening statement, which he kept as positive as promised.

"I believe in this country. I believe in this state," he said, complimenting residents for their resiliency in dealing with Sunday's earthquakes, which caused millions of dollars in property damage on the Big Island and left O'ahu residents in the dark for most of the day.

He talked about being a family man and living in the 2nd Congressional District — Hirono does not — and offering balance in a congressional delegation that has been exclusively Democratic for 15 years.

Hirono, by contrast, started off talking about her dissatisfaction with the Bush administration and the concerns she has heard in the district about tax cuts for the rich, healthcare for the elderly, threats to Social Security and the war in Iraq.

"The message I got loud and clear is that you want to send someone to Congress who will get things done, who will fight for us and who understands that our country is going down the wrong path and who knows we can do better," she said.

When asked if she could think of any areas where she agreed with the president, Hirono could only come up with his designation of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands as a sanctuary, and she pointed out that Native Hawaiian fishermen still have some issues with it.

"To tell you the truth there has been such a lack of leadership by the Bush administration that it truly is hard for me to cite some positive things," she said.

By contrast, after crediting the Bush administration with growing the economy and keeping the country safe, Hogue was able to come up with two areas where he disagrees with the president.

Hogue said he does not support reauthorizing the federal No Child Left Behind Act as currently written, and wants to see amendments and adjustments that will strengthen the law, make it less punitive and put more resources into the classroom. "I think it needs to be much more positive," he said.

He also disagrees with Bush's stance on giving amnesty to illegal immigrants and argues instead for securing the borders with strong enforcement. "We can't give amnesty, otherwise there's still a streaming of illegal immigrants coming across," he said.

While she talked about being an immigrant, Hirono did not tackle immigration as an issue, but she did agree with Hogue that the No Child law needs to be changed. She proposed funding the mandate with the $200 million a day being used to finance the war in Iraq.

Hogue argued that withdrawal from Iraq would not free that money for education and opposes immediate redeployment, which he believes would put the United States in danger. "We must be strong. We must be sure our country stays safe," he said.

Hirono disagreed. "Presumably if we could save the $200 million every day that we are spending on the war in Iraq, that it is not going to go to some other war. I certainly hope not," she said. "I hope we learned our lesson going into Iraq in a pre-emptive way."

Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.