Obama backs Abercrombie

President Obama is lending support to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Neil Abercrombie.

In an undisclosed number of e-mails, Obama said he has known Abercrombie since the former congressman was a college friend of the president’s parents at the University of Hawaii.

Obama applauds Abercrombie’s work over two decades representing Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District.

The president says Hawaii, where he was born, has special meaning to him, and he wants it to have the best governor it can.

He also says Abercrombie’s race with Republican Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona is going to be close.

The e-mail was sent by an arm of the Democratic National Committee.

49 candidates vow no new taxes

Forty-nine candidates, mostly Republican, for the state Legislature and Congress have signed a no-new-taxes pledge.

The signings were announced recently by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii.

The pledge was designed by Americans for Tax Reform, a Washington group.

Among the Republicans who signed were lieutenant governor candidate Lynn Finnegan, congressional contenders John Willoughby in Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District and U.S. Rep. Charles Djou in the 1st Congressional District, and U.S. Senate candidate Cam Cavasso.

A spokesman for GOP gubernatorial contender James "Duke" Aiona says Aiona opposes tax hikes but did not sign because the pledge left no room for extraordinary circumstances and did not include a time frame.

Gay-rights groups give support to 5

Two gay-rights groups are supporting several, mostly Democratic candidates for state and congressional offices in Hawaii.

Equality Hawaii Action Fund and the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii announced their endorsements Sunday.

The groups endorsed U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, congressional candidates Colleen Hanabusa and U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono, and the Democratic gubernatorial ticket of Neil Abercrombie and Brian Schatz.