Canvassing the Big Island's West Side

Chad Blair/Civil Beat

Mufi Hannemann's Kailua-Kona campaign headquarters is located in Kopiko Plaza, just a few blocks from Kamakahonu, the historic compound of King Kamehameha I.

The headquarters is staffed by husband and wife Marian Solomon and Mike Renner, who believe Hannemann possesses the talent to unite the state much as Kamehameha united the Hawaiian islands some 200 years ago.

"Mufi breaks down barriers between Democrats and Republicans," said Renner, a retired Air Force colonel. "We are real tired of the partisan stuff. We got to know him from the Honolulu TV stations. He was impressive, the type of manager that I would hire. His private-sector training is important. He would work for the people, not himself."

"He connects very well with local people — Hawaiian people," says Solomon, a retired business executive. "He looks at you eye to eye."

Barely a block from Hannemann's headquarters is Abercrombie's campaign office at Bougainvillea Plaza. Abercrombie's supporters are equally confident that their man is the right man to be governor.

"His appeal is that he cares, and his sincerity comes across," says John Buckstead, Abercrombie's coordinator for the west side of the Big Island. "He has spent a lot of time here listening to people — maybe a dozen trips on this side, from Kau to North Kohala and Waimea, Hawi, Ocean View, Miloilii. And he listens to these communities — farmers, doctors, business people, teachers, parents."

Buckstead says the election is about the performance of government.

Barbara Dalton, a retired postmaster volunteering for the Abercrombie campaign, agrees.

"People here expect better performance from government than what they are getting," she says. "It's grassroots all the way here."

Welcome to the race for governor, Big Island-style. At stake is the largest chunk of voters outside Oahu. The candidate who wins Hawaii County may well win the state.

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