Two former governors, a retired U.S. senator, a retired state Supreme Court chief justice and the widow of U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye stood with U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa on Tuesday night in a show of strength for her Democratic primary campaign for U.S. Senate.
The event at Bishop Museum’s Atherton Halau was intended to demonstrate the political weight behind Hanabusa, who has trailed U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz in early fundraising and endorsements.
The message was that Hanabusa, the former state Senate president and labor attorney, has proven leadership skills that distinguish her from the untested Schatz.
But the unspoken message was the guest list. Along with former Gov. George Ariyoshi and former Gov. Ben Cayetano, retired U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, retired Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald T.Y. Moon and Irene Hirano Inouye, three mayors — Honolulu’s Kirk Caldwell, Hawaii County’s Billy Kenoi and Kauai’s Bernard Carvalho Jr. — and several state House and Senate legislators also stopped by for dinner.
"We really need somebody who has been a proven leader," Akaka said. "And for me Colleen has been a proven leader."
Ariyoshi said the last time he broke his policy of not endorsing in a primary was when Akaka faced former Congressman Ed Case in 2006. "Some people talk in terms of the seniority that’s very important — and it is — but the seniority comes in play only when you’ve been there for a long time," he said. "And one or two years, seniority doesn’t mean anything."
Cayetano, who clashed with Hanabusa at times when he was governor, said there is really no comparison between Hanabusa and Schatz. "If all we did was compare records — put that on television — Colleen would win this hands down. But they’re trying to distract and detract from the issues by talking about seniority," he said.
Hanabusa said it was the "ultimate compliment" that Inouye’s last wish before he died in December was that she succeed him. Gov. Neil Abercrombie instead appointed Schatz.
"I would like to think that I earned his confidence, like I believe I will earn all of yours," she told the audience.
Hanabusa said the primary would not only be about which Democrat would be more effective in the Senate or at positioning Hawaii in the Asia-Pacific region, but about which candidate understands and would preserve the island’s core values and sense of family.
EMILY’s List, the national women’s and abortion rights advocacy group, which has endorsed Hanabusa, released the results of an automated poll Tuesday that showed Hanabusa with a double-digit lead over Schatz. An internal poll taken earlier this year for the Hanabusa campaign also had the congresswoman with a double-digit advantage.
The Schatz campaign released an internal poll Tuesday that showed the primary deadlocked. Civil Beat, an online news site, posted the results of an automated poll Monday that had Schatz with a slight edge.
