With no challenger in sight, Mayor Mufi Hannemann has raised more than $1.9 million from a variety of individuals and businesses for his fall re-election bid.

Hawai'i Campaign Spending Commission records show Hannemann has raised almost $2 million during the 2006-2008 election cycle, and almost $4 million over the past eight years.

As a comparison, at the end of 2001, former Mayor Jeremy Harris had raised just more than $1 million toward a possible run.

During the last mayoral contest, Hannemann spent roughly $2 million, while his opponent Duke Bainum spent $4 million.

Hannemann said the amount is in line with his most recent campaign for the job. "I have to go by past experience," the mayor said. "You saw the last race; it was the most ever spent on a mayoral election, and it is far too premature to say I have no opponent. We won't know until July.

"It's what strategic incumbents do. I want to make sure I am ready for any and all comers. I want to be prepared. You've got to raise funds, I'm not independently wealthy."

EMPLOYEES TOP DONORS

The group who contributed the most to the campaign were employees with the City and County of Honolulu, who donated $40,795.66 between November 2004 and Dec. 31, 2007.

Other major donors were executives, attorneys, accountants, and developers working for eight local companies who gave $199,954.19 between 2000 and 2008.

Political fundraising and the relationships between elected officials and big donors is a part of politics, said Neal Milner, a political scientist at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa.

"The main thing that contributions buy, and that's true nationally as well as here, (is) access," Milner said. "A lot of things in politics get done within social networks. If you know someone to call, if you have some sort of personal relationship and if you're visible, that can make a difference. You can get information faster, and I am being totally agnostic about this."

Hannemann said there is no relationship between donors and supporters and access to his office. He said he steers completely clear of the city procurement process and takes input from donors and non-donors alike.

"We do it by the books and my organization runs some of the cleanest books.

"Every donation is checked, vetted and cleared," he said. "I don't measure access to the mayor by campaign contributions or who is a supporter. I don't care if you donated money or ran against me, if it's a good idea and it's good for the community, I am all ears."

STRENGTH, OPTIONS

Hannemann's sizeable fund-raising, coupled with his incumbency, serves as a deterrent to prospective challengers and leaves his future political options wide open, according to local political mavens. With the July 22 deadline to file to challenge Hannemann in the 2008 mayoral race five months away, no viable candidate has emerged who could match the money he has raised and the public support that comes with it.

The rising cost of advertising fees, campaign product costs, and human resource expenses means more money is needed to stay in office.

"This is a shot across a bow to anyone thinking of running (against him)," Milner said. "One of the reasons you raise a lot of money is to secure your borders. The more money he raises the less likely it is someone (enters the race) in July. You're not only facing an incumbent but an incumbent who has been able to raise a huge amount of money."

A RUN FOR GOVERNOR?

While Hannemann's path toward a second term as Honolulu's mayor appears clear, talk is that he has his eye on a run for governor in 2010.

Analysts say that if Hannemann succeeds in seeing through the $5 billion mass transit plan, he creates a strong argument for his ability to run the state.

"Mufi's got his network, an army actually, and it's hard to believe it wouldn't be a very tempting target for him to go for the governorship (in 2010)," said Ira Rohter, a political science professor at the University of Hawai'i. "I think his persistence in pushing this thing (transit), if he pulls that off it is going to be a stunning victory. He would be able to say 'We need someone who can get the job done.' "

Hannemann said he is only focused on the next election.

"I inherited tremendous problems when I came into this office that I am still dealing with today. There are traffic problems, homeless problems, sewer problems, landfill problems. I am very focused on 2008. I love being mayor and I have as much energy as I did on the first day," he said.

"Since I became mayor, everyone has said the next step is Washington, D.C., or Washington Place. It's way too early to talk about 2010."

Hannemann's chief opposition if he should decide to run for governor could come from Lt. Gov. James R. "Duke" Aiona or U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, according to Rohter and Milner.

Randy Obata, a spokesman for Abercrombie, said the representative is running for re-election this fall. "It's been mentioned but he's got his hands full with the election coming up," said Obata. "There are no current intentions."

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.