Former Gov. Linda Lingle, in a display of national fundraising prowess, has raised more than $1.7 million since she announced her Republican campaign for the U.S. Senate in October.

Lingle quickly eclipsed U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono and former U.S. Rep. Ed Case, her Democratic rivals, who have been raising money since last spring. Hirono has collected about $1.5 million. Case brought in more than $350,000 through September but has not yet released his quarterly figures.

Lingle, who broke state fundraising records as governor, can use the strong opening as evidence she can be competitive despite Hawaii’s Democratic history.

"She is a very formidable candidate and probably one of the best that the Republicans have across the nation this year," said Dan Boylan, a political analyst and retired University of Hawaii-West Oahu history professor.

Several national political analysts have rated the Hawaii Senate race a "tossup," so in addition to fundraising by the candidates, political interest groups are expected to direct millions to the islands.

Lingle had said she wanted to raise about $8 million to $10 million — more than $2 million a quarter — a figure she acknowledged on Wednesday might be a little high.

"I have to raise a lot because the Democrat opponent likely will have all the mainland labor unions weigh in, and they spend tens of millions of dollars. And so because I don’t have that kind of support, I would have to raise more," the former governor told reporters after a speech to the Kaneohe Business Group.

Jadine Nielsen, Hirono’s finance chairwoman, said Lingle is being financed by Republicans who oppose Hawaii-born President Barack Obama.

"It’s not at all surprising that Republican Linda Lingle, who introduced (former Alaska Gov.) Sarah Palin to the world and campaigned hard against Barack Obama, has raised a lot of money from fellow Republicans who are counting on her to support their agenda," she said in a statement. "They know what they’re getting by donating to her, and we have no doubt that Lingle will continue to do everything she can to stop President Obama’s agenda of creating jobs, protecting our air and water, and improving our kids’ education."

Case described the national political interests contributing heavily to Lingle and Hirono as the problem in Washington, D.C.

"That’s the whole problem with D.C. today: All they care about is who can rake in the most money, who they can control, and not who can get the job done," he said in a statement. "If it’s just about another senator bought and paid for before she’s sworn in, we’ll never fix our problems."

Democrats have given Lingle backhanded praise for her fundraising and communications skills, often to help explain her success in a traditionally Democratic state. Hirono and Case first have to focus on drawing distinctions between each other in the primary before they take on Lingle more substantively. Privately, however, there is increasing worry among some Democrats that they need a better message than likening Lingle to conservatives such as Palin or invoking the impact on Obama and U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, if Republicans were to retake the Senate.

Lingle, recognizing her campaign’s potential weaknesses, is addressing them head-on. She described the Hirono campaign’s repeated references to Palin — whom Lingle introduced at the Republican National Convention in 2008 — as a "political statement that shows a lack of vision for what she plans to do for our state if she gets elected.

"And when you focus on personalities, rather than on issues, I think it’s an admission that you really don’t have any vision for the state, you don’t have any plans for the future. So I don’t think it has any significance whatsoever. I think the people of Hawaii can see right through that. It’s just Washington-style politics."

At her speech before the Kaneohe Business Group, she told the audience up-front to expect arguments that she poses a threat to the popular Inouye and Obama.

Lingle acknowledged that Inouye would lose the chairmanship of the Senate Appropriations Committee if Republicans take the Senate, but she said it is in Hawaii’s best interest to have someone from both political parties in the delegation. She said Inouye’s longtime partnership with the late U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, was a smart strategy, although she did not mention that the pair’s power was based on their seniority along with their bipartisan alliance.

"We don’t need to look to another state. We could have that same advantage right here at home by having a Democrat senator and a Republican senator, so it wouldn’t matter to us in Hawaii — us as residents — which party happened to be in the majority, because the majority goes back and forth," she said.

Lingle said she expects Obama will urge voters to support a Democrat to replace U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, and help advance the president’s agenda in Congress. She said voters should not link the presidential campaign to the Senate race, however, because while Obama would serve another four years if re-elected, the next senator would likely serve for a generation given the state’s history. No Hawaii senator has lost a re-election campaign since statehood. Vacancies have only occurred because of retirement or death.

"Even if President Obama can win election, and there are people — many people, as you know — who support him. That’s OK. They can support him, but also support me, because these are two very separate races and should not be meshed together," she said.