WAILUKU, Maui — State Rep. Bob Nakasone has won his state legislative re-election campaigns by healthy margins, but this political season he is facing a ruthless challenger from within.

The Democrat representing Kahului and lower Pa'ia residents had to miss two-thirds of the recent Legislative session as he battled lung cancer.

The typically media-shy Nakasone yesterday discussed his illness in an interview with The Maui News.

Nakasone, 68, said he has decided his political future will continue. There's too much left to do for Maui, he said. He will formally file today with the state Office of Elections for his eighth state representative race.

He said he feels good. He's got the backing of his family and a phalanx of dedicated supporters. And door knocking on the campaign trail will do him good, Nakasone said.

"I need the exercise," he said. "We're not going to run this campaign any different."

The cancer in his left lung has been isolated and soon he will begin a third and final round of radiation treatment. Nakasone said he is 80 percent back today and expects to be at full strength in a month.

"The doctor said it's very promising as far as the results of the treatment," Nakasone said from a second-floor conference room/campaign headquarters at Ameritone-Maui, his paint and wall-covering store in Kahului. "It's a wake-up call for anyone. None of us are Superman. The pain and anxiety I wouldn't wish on anybody. It was the hardest thing I ever went through."

Throughout his ordeal, Nakasone said he kept the majority leadership abreast of his condition and conducted negotiations by telephone and through intermediaries. During the 60-day session, he had 42 excused absences, the most of any lawmaker.

"Sometimes you might feel good, but exposure will put you at a higher risk," he said.

Maui Democratic Party Chairman Lance Holter said Nakasone's knowledge of state capital improvement funding formulas and taxes is almost unequaled.

While seeking treatment, Nakasone was still instrumental in Maui Community College receiving $25 million to build a new science building on the Kahului campus, his colleagues said. Nakasone also said that part of the reason he isn't done with politics is to achieve his dream of establishing a four-year nursing program at the school.

Speaker of the House Calvin Say said yesterday he was elated to hear that Nakasone would be running again.

"He is a tremendous asset for the people of Maui. A senior person like Bob and (Rep. Joe) Souki makes it much easier for Maui to get the funding it needs," Say said. "You know, he's a man who is very quiet but very effective, especially when it comes to speaking to the Senate."

Nakasone said he wasn't intentionally keeping his medical condition quiet. It was a more a result of the circumstances, he said.

Nakasone has represented Maui's 9th District since 1992 in a political career that began with his election to the Maui County Council in 1977. Nakasone also founded and owns Ameritone-Maui. He has a wife, Ruth, and three adult children.

Nakasone, who was a smoker, said doctors aren't certain about what caused the cancer, but he quit smoking cigarettes soon after he fell ill in December. He said at first he thought he had a virus that had been going around when he was overcome by jags of coughing.

His wife also became sick around that same time, suffering water in her lungs and a mild heart attack. Needless to say, it was a very trying time for the family, said the couple's daughter, Joni McGinnis.

"We all know that our parents won't live forever, but I've never seen him in a state of vulnerability, which I guess is typical for Japanese families," she said. "Dad has always been the pillar of family, especially as far as the business goes. But what he really loves is his public service. So he should follow his first love."

Nakasone was at the capital for the first two weeks of the session, which began Jan. 16. Soon after, he began medical testing. In early March, Nakasone learned that he had lung cancer, which was followed by an aggressive form of chemotherapy at The Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu.

The program, which was administered during three-day hospital visits, has lasted through this month. In between chemotherapy treatments, Nakasone's body would be wiped out for 18 days, said the lawmaker, who lost his hair and about 25 pounds. Perhaps the most difficult challenge was temporarily losing his voice, he said.

Nakasone said he held off making any announcements until he had some firmer test results. But the deadline for candidates to file for state and county elections — July 22 — was fast approaching.

And Nakasone could now face a formidable surprise contender.

A former Maui County mayor, council member and Maui Democratic Party chairman, James "Kimo" Apana of Wailuku, officially filed his candidacy with the state Friday.

Apana was not available for comment yesterday.

"As party chair, I feel like the more the merrier," Holter said. "It just means more ideas. We've got the kupuna of the House with an incredible amount of experience. And you've got to salute him for running again. I just wish Kimo well. He must miss politics. It would be a daunting task to run against someone like Bob. But they both have great networks of people."

Henry Kahula, a Republican from Paia, has run unsuccessfully against Nakasone in the past. Kahula has also pulled election papers, but he has not filed them yet.

Chris Hamilton can be reached at chamilton@mauinews.com. Additional Maui News stories are posted online at www.mauinews.com