Abercrombie the cabbie returns in new TV spot

Gov. Neil Abercrombie, caught up in an unexpectedly difficult Demo­cratic primary against underdog state Sen. David Ige, has revived a populist image from his early days in Hawaii politics: the yellow Checker cab.

As a young Demo­crat with little campaign money, Abercrombie often tooled around in a big yellow cab that served as a symbol of his outsider status.

Now as the governor is up for re-election with a $4.7 million war chest, he has gone back behind the wheel of a cab in a new campaign advertisement that credits him for the state’s economic turnaround.

In the breezy television spot, which debuts Wednesday, Abercrombie picks up two women headed for Diamond Head. One of the women asks the other about new construction at Kapo­lei Elementary School and Hale­kau­wila Place, and is told Abercrombie is responsible.

Asked about the fare, a beaming Abercrombie says, "Ladies, it’s on me."

"Neil wanted our TV spot to reflect what he’s hearing from voters, that Hawaii is better off today," Shane Peters, an Abercrombie campaign spokes­man, said in a email. "The light-hearted feel and use of Neil’s old cab as a theme in this ad further emphasizes this point. It’s a symbol of his philosophy — service oriented, reliable and always there for you."