03-21-2009, 09:43 AM
John's point has some validity, because in 1998 Ben Cayetano barely won his re-election bid over Lingle, who lost her first gubernatorial race by a margin of just over 1 percent.
But it's unclear whether she would have won in 2002 had the Democratic frontrunner not imploded. Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris had the Dem nomination locked until his campaign was hit with a flurry of campaign donation violations involving many high-profile companies. He soon bailed, leaving Mazie Hirono as the late front-runner but she failed to get much traction, losing 51-46 percent in the general.
In 2006, the still-disorganized Democrats nominated Randall Iwase to oppose Lingle but he was trounced 62-35 percent.
That being said, I believe the Republicans are going to have their hands full trying to retain the seat in 2010.
But it's unclear whether she would have won in 2002 had the Democratic frontrunner not imploded. Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris had the Dem nomination locked until his campaign was hit with a flurry of campaign donation violations involving many high-profile companies. He soon bailed, leaving Mazie Hirono as the late front-runner but she failed to get much traction, losing 51-46 percent in the general.
In 2006, the still-disorganized Democrats nominated Randall Iwase to oppose Lingle but he was trounced 62-35 percent.
That being said, I believe the Republicans are going to have their hands full trying to retain the seat in 2010.