Candidates for Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District continued canvassing the community yesterday in the final push before Election Day while their campaigns sparred over issues including Medicare and automated telephone calls.

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Charles Djou was canvassing various neighborhoods across the district yesterday and plans more of the same over the weekend. Democratic challenger state Sen. Colleen Hanabusa plans to get out into the community and attend various Democratic Party rallies. She walked Chinatown yesterday to meet with local businesses.

Meanwhile, Hanabusa’s campaign warned yesterday of an expected "onslaught" of attack ads by national Republican groups. Hanabusa spokesman Richard Rapoza said in a news release, "They don’t seem to understand that repeating the same lies over and over again doesn’t make them true."

Rapoza said an automated telephone call reported to the campaign featured an elderly woman near tears claiming Hanabusa cut $500 billion from Medicare. It was unknown who paid for the robocall.

Hanabusa, a state senator, did not vote on the national health care reform bill, he said.

National Republicans have argued that the measure, which became the Affordable Care Act, cuts $500 billion from the Medicare program. The claim has been disproved by websites including FactCheck.org and Politifact.com.

Djou campaign spokesman Daniel Son outlined, in an e-mail, reasons for Republican opposition to the bill, detailing points the GOP believes will result in higher premiums, loss of coverage and denied access for seniors.

"Hanabusa decries the ‘politics of fear,’ but the reality is that what Americans are really afraid of is more government intrusion between them and their doctors," Son wrote.