Linda Lingle demonstrated that Republicans can get elected to high office in Hawaii, but her coattails failed to pull fellow party members into the Legislature during her two terms as governor. The number of GOP legislators sank from 22 to nine — eight representatives and a single senator — and a revamping of the party has been long past due.

The state GOP in recent years has been run by the religious right as moderate voters have been drawn to Democrats, a loud signal that changes are needed to produce a healthy two-party state.

Jonah Kaauwai, a catalyst of an evangelical party, has now prudently stepped aside as the party’s chairman — and he needs to be replaced at the party’s convention in May by an advocate of moderation, if Republicans hope to regroup with unity and strength.

For decades, Republican office-holders have switched to the Democratic Party as a necessity to get reelected or position themselves for posts of influence in the majority party — the latest being Rep. Karen Awana and Sen. Mike Gabbard, both from Leeward Oahu. The Republican nosedive occurred as the party structure turned right while Lingle maintained a moderate agenda during her residency in Washington Place. She supported rail transit on Oahu and U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka’s bill for Hawaiian sovereignty, both vehemently opposed by the party’s conservative wing.

Last week, several members of the state GOP’s executive committee sent a nominally confidential but handily leaked email to the party’s state committee calling for the ouster of Kaauwai, who had been in the forefront of defining the party as a Christian entity concentrated on social issues.

Lingle’s political success has been based on moderation, and she must be counting on that as she eyes the seat to be vacated by Akaka next year.

In a letter that appeared on the Hawaii Christian Coalition website in last year’s election, Kaauwai called Democratic gubernatorial candidates Mufi Hannemann, a Mormon, and now-Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who has said he is a confirmed Episcopalian, "unrighteous."

The letter predicted that then-Lt. Gov. and Republican candidate Duke Aiona "will win because the church has been behind him the entire time operating in the POWER and the AUTHORITY and the NAME OF JESUS!"

Aiona distanced himself from the letter but appealed to the conservative religious vote.

Kaauwai, who was elected party chairman in 2009 and re-elected for another two-year term at this May’s state convention, said he had "no doubt" that Lingle wanted him removed from the post.

The party executives’ letter pointed out that Lingle is a potential U.S. Senate candidate and former Republican U.S. Rep. Charles Djou is seeking to regain the House seat against Democratic incumbent Colleen Hanabusa. Plans by Lingle and Djou to assemble bipartisan messages could be undermined by a state GOP identified with religious fundamentalism.

"It was never my intent to divide members, only to identify and include new ones," said the departing Kaauwai.

He is considering a run for the 2nd Congressional District seat being vacated by Democrat U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono, who is seeking to replace Akaka.

Leaders of the national tea party movement have been cautioned to focus on fiscal issues instead of ranting about social controversies, such as same-sex marriages/civil unions or abortion. That’s sound advice, especially given the dismal financial outlook. A moderate strategy at the state level to bring more small-business, less-government believers back into the fold would be beneficial indeed.

Hawaii deserves a robust two-party system, at least, and 2012 offers prime opportunities, if local Republicans can forge a unified platform of fiscal focus, not social- issue divisiveness.