Abercrombie loses support of former ally Cayetano

Former Gov. Ben Cayetano, one of Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s closest political allies, says he will not support the veteran Democrat’s re-election.

In an interview last week, Cayetano said he feels Abercrombie has changed his positions on key issues, and therefore, will back Abercrombie’s primary opponent, state Sen. David Ige, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.

"I’m going to help David Ige; I’m going to help him. He is an underdog and Neil has a lot of money," Cayetano said.

"I think David shows the contrast with Neil. He listens, he gives people respect and he is not afraid to make decisions and he is smart."

Earlier, former Gov. George Ariyoshi also announced that he would take the unusual political step of opposing a sitting Democratic governor in a primary election battle.

Both Ariyoshi and Cayetano, who had won their own gubernatorial campaigns with the help of organized Hawaii labor, said they were concerned that Abercrombie had given up too much in negotiations with the public worker unions.

Cayetano also said he objected to the state’s plans for the high-rise development of Kakaako.

"This is going to be a wall of concrete like Manhattan," Cayetano said.

Cayetano reached his decision to not support Abercrombie because, "I have been there and I know what the stakes are."

"He has changed completely — the things he criticized and the principles he was for, he seems like he has abandoned," said Cayetano who served with Abercrombie in the state House and Senate.

Cayetano went on to become both lieutenant governor and then governor, while Abercrombie then served on the City Council and 20 years in Congress.

In response to Cayetano’s decision not to support Abercrombie, Bill Kaneko, chairman of Abercrombie’s re-election campaign, said: "Governor Abercrombie has not wavered from his lifelong values and commitment to serve the people of Hawaii. He has accomplished much for seniors, education, the environment, the economy and state finances. Hawaii is better off today than it was when he took office in 2011."

If the relationship between the two Democrats is now strained, in the past they would publicly acknowledge their respect for each other.

Abercrombie, for instance, wrote the forward of Cayetano’s autobiography, "Ben, a Memoir, Street Kid to Governor." In it, Abercrombie described Cayetano as "honest, tough and smart.

"The voters found Ben’s truth-telling refreshing enough to reward him with multiple terms in the Legislature and twice with the state’s highest office," Abercrombie wrote.

In his biography, Cayetano repeatedly mentioned the close political alliance the two men shared.

Cayetano recalled how he and Abercrombie often banded together on controversial votes, "drawing us closer."

"Abercrombie and I had been close friends since our days in the House," Caye-tano wrote in his memoir.

As the former governor noted in his interview: "We have disagreed strongly in the past but it never affected our friendship."

Now, Cayetano said, much has changed.

"If he wins, I hope he reflects on why people who used to support him don’t support him now," Cayetano said.

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Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach him at rborreca@staradvertiser.com.