Winning endorsements from labor unions and political action groups is always better than not getting any endorsements, but don’t expect that labor stamp of approval to guarantee a win without a campaign of substance and vigor.

Two years ago, Colleen Hanabusa was the go-to candidate in the endorsement rodeo. Her Democratic primary campaign against incumbent Gov. David Ige started with big poll numbers, strong name recognition and an amazing collection of fans. The Waianae Democrat was endorsed by the AFL-CIO, the HGEA, the state’s newspapers and progressive outfits such as the Patsy T. Mink Political Action Committee. Then the campaign lost track, wavered, and Ige won with 50.2% of the vote to Hanabusa’s 43.4%.

In this year’s glamour race, the Honolulu mayor’s contest, two newcomers have grabbed endorsements. Retired television executive Rick Blangiardi had the early endorsement of the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers. That’s a good one to get. Who quarrels with the men and women in blue having your back?

Then last week, the largest public employees union, the Hawaii Government Employees Association, endorsed the campaign of insurance executive Keith Amemiya.

“We are very, very pleased to support him,” HGEA executive director Randy Perreira said. “He brings a very fresh perspective to government. It is not one burdened by politics of the past.”

Amemiya, however, is not a new kid of the block. He is a senior vice president of Island Holdings Inc., the parent company of Island Insurance, Atlas Insurance Agency, Tradewind Capital Group, IC International and Pacxa. Amemiya’s years of leadership of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association earned him important connections. Today he enjoys support from Duane Kurisu, Lionel Tokioka and Micah Kane. Amemiya may not be burdened “by politics of the past,” but his past is certainly not unburdened by politics.

Blangiardi is a different story. He has strong local ties, and his time as a long-time editorialist on the weeknight Hawaii News Now broadcasts makes him a recognizable figure.

“I have hard-earned credibility with our business community and numerous nonprofit agencies, and I believe I can bring them all to the table,” Blangiardi said during his SHOPO endorsement.

The fourth major candidate, City Councilwoman Kym Pine, has not picked up any major endorsements, but unlike the other three, she is currently in office and is able to demonstrate her ability to perform in city government.

What all are lacking today, however, is some place to go and say something. There is no grassroots campaign during a pandemic; there is no door-to-door canvass if everyone is afraid to touch a door knob without sanitizing it first. And Zoom meetings might provide an alternate way to communicate, but it is a hideous way to hold a campaign rally: you need sign-wavers and bento boxes, not laptops and smartphones.

Without any real campaign events, the race for mayor is still unfocused, and candidates really haven’t even been formally introduced to the voters. The campaign theme so far is, “Who’s that?”

Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays. Reach him at 808onpolitics@gmail.com.