Two seasoned politicians will face off next month to become the Democratic candidate for state senator of the newly created 4th District on Hawaii Island.

State Sen. Malama Solomon, who currently represents the 1st District, is running against Lorraine Inouye, former state senator, mayor and county councilwoman.

Solomon, 61, co-sponsored a measure that became the state law recognizing Native Hawaiians as an indigenous people with the right to self-government, and was involved in the ceded lands settlement during her most recent term as senator.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie appointed her to the 1st District in 2010 to replace Dwight Takamine, who left to become director of the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

Inouye, 72, was a state senator for 10 years before leaving for an unsuccessful run for Hawaii County mayor in 2008. She previously was Hawaii Island’s mayor for two years in the 1990s, and before that, served on the Hawaii County Council for six years.

Solomon and Inouye are running in a new Hawaii island district. The seat was shifted from Oahu after the state Supreme Court ruled nonpermanent residents had to be excluded from the population base used to allocate legislative seats among islands.

About 45,000 residents live in the 4th District, which covers the northern part of the island, stretching from North Kona to north of Hilo.

Inouye, who describes herself as a "people person," says her experience chairing numerous committees as a senator and her experience as mayor qualify her for the job.

If elected, she would immediately introduce legislation to change the selection process for the reapportionment commission. She wants to give neighbor islands better representation and said district boundaries were poorly drawn, resulting in the splitting of close communities — such as Naalehu and Pahala on Hawaii island.

Inouye also wants to see the completion of the Hawaii Community College Palamanui campus in West Hawaii and the Kona Judiciary Complex, saying it’s time to focus on the Kona side.

"When I was in Senate District 1 … in the 10 years, we really created and worked hard," she said. "A lot of infrastructure and new buildings went into there. I believe now we should go to West Hawaii side."

Solomon said her top priority in the 4th District would be ensuring the completion of the campus and courthouse. She said she hopes the district’s three major industries — hospitality, agriculture and renewable energy — can tie into the new campus.

"It’s my vision then that the university campus would be able to create a common theme among these industries," she said. "My vision is for the university to be the world-leading university in environmental sciences."

Solomon said her other major priorities would be creating jobs and helping the agriculture industry.

"If we can just increase our (agricultural) production here in our 4th (senatorial district) 10 percent, we can generate $200 million more," Solomon said. "And that’s all related to job creation."

Solomon, who holds a doctorate in education administration from Oregon State University and was a state senator from 1981 to 1996, said that when the 4th District was created, Hawaii island’s major agricultural areas were combined, introducing opportunities for the agricultural industry, such as lowering energy costs through renewable energy and enhancing distribution centers for exports.

She said jobs can also be created in the district through green energy, such as geothermal, wind and solar power.

"It’s just a matter of providing a new direction as to how we’re going to consolidate all of our economic strengths so that we can create a balance so that we can improve our quality of life," Solomon said.

Inouye added that as senator she would address the unfunded liabilities to the pension system. She also wants the Legislature to review the tax structure to compare the benefits of a regular sales tax with the state’s general excise tax, which she believes hurts small business.

Inouye said schools also need repairs in the 4th District along with the potable water system in Waimea and Kawaihae.

The winner of the primary will face Green Party candidate Kelly Greenwell.