University of Hawaii football star Craig Stutzmann entered politics this year after being recruited by the Republican Party of Hawaii and Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona to run against House Majority Leader Scott Saiki in District 22 of McCully and Pawaa.

That looked as if it was going to be a tough race between the two candidates -- that is until Stutzmann stopped returning numerous phone calls from the party’s top leaders.

Stutzmann also was not campaigning.

According to Republican sources, Stutzmann received a phone call from Walter Dods, president of First Hawaiian Bank and a well-known leader and supporter of the Democrat Party of Hawaii who in 2002 considered running for governor. Dods reportedly told Stutzmann, who works at St. Louis High School as a football coach, that it would not be "good for his career" to run for political office as a Republican.

Dods contacted Hawaii Reporter through a third party Oct. 15, 2004, to deny the charge, saying that he has never met or spoke to Stuzmann. He said he is outraged over the accusation.

St. Louis School, though a Catholic institution, has an undeniable reputation of being a bastion for children of high profile Democrats who enter their children in that school for the top ranked football program.

Brennon Morioka, chair of the Hawaii Republican Party says Stutzmann and many other candidates running on the Republican ticket were contacted by high-ranking business people in the state after announcing their candidacy and were indirectly threatened and told they should not challenge the Democrat incumbents.

Gov. Linda Lingle recently held a meeting with these candidates to encourage them.

Governor Jet-Setting Around the Country with President

Gov. Linda Lingle attended the presidential debate in Arizona -- and was the only Republican governor to do so. She then boarded the Air Force One with President and First Lady Laura Bush to fly to Las Vegas to meet with Republican governors from other states where they launched the "Victory 2004 Leadership Matters" tour.

Dale Evans, owner of Charlie’s Taxi and Hawaii resident, says she was watching FOX News’ coverage of the president’s arrival in Las Vegas and was stunned to see Lingle disembark with the president and first lady. "Good showing for Hawaii," she says.

Yesterday, Lingle flew to Colorado Springs along with Gov. Bob Taft of Ohio, and was surprised by a number of former Hawaii residents who came to greet her at the airport with welcome signs and leis. "She had a great day," her Senior Advisor of Communications Lenny Klompus said in an email.

Continuing to "walk the vote," Lingle also traveled to Portland, Maine, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with Taft, and then to Manchester, New Hampshire this afternoon, where she and Taft joined Gov. Donald Carcieri, R-Rhode Island.

Sunday, Lingle returns to Hawaii after meeting with six young women in a Utah correctional facility, recently transferred from Hawaii.

Ready, Set, Launch Into Political Mania

Democrats and Republicans are launching missiles at one another in the final days of the 2004 election -- missiles in the form of mailings with political messages about their opponents.

That is to be expected in every election in these modern times. But this year, what makes the exchange different is Republicans are actually firing back.

In the past, Republican candidates were pummeled by Democrats who sent outrageous fliers out on them in the final days of their campaigns, and the Republican Party has been rotten at responding. In fact, some Republicans can attribute their loses in 2002 and 2000 to such attacks, often on their character rather than on issues or fact.

In several cases in 2002, the Democrat party sent out fliers on Republicans claiming they’d been bought by "big oil" and big business. In fact, these Republicans had not had any contributions from the "oil" companies and their Democrat opponents had.

In another case, a flier targeting Corrine Ching, a Republican running for the state House, talked about her voting record in the House. The mailer, sent by the campaign of Jennifer Waihee, the daughter of former Gov. John Waihee, did not acknowledge Ching had never been in the state House or elected to public office and could not possibly have a voting record. Ching won that election, despite the several fliers sent out by her Democrat opponent to undermine her campaign.

Former Republican state Representative Joe Gomes, who until 2002 represented the Kailua and Waimanalo districts, also got targeted and likely lost his seat because of the Democrat’s mailings which seemed to come weekly in the final weeks of the campaign in 2002. The party did not come to his aide because of the focus on winning the governor’s election, which the party did with the victory of Gov. Linda Lingle against former Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono, a Democrat.

But this time in 2004, the Republican Party is ready, not only ready to respond but sending messages of their own. Republicans say their message is based on fact such as voting records, not personal attacks some of the Democrats are so notorious for in recent elections.

Filipino Community Physicians Endorse Tanonaka

Despite troubles with the state Campaign Spending Commission, and a case he calls politically motivated being referred for criminal prosecution to the Honolulu City Prosecutor, Dalton Tanonaka continues to receive endorsements -- this time from physicians in Oahu’s Filipino community.

Forty-four physicians who primarily serve Oahu's Filipino community say that Tanonaka's Asia experience and personal philosophy earned their endorsement in his effort to win the U.S. House seat in the Hawaii's First Congressional District.

"He will represent all of the people, regardless of party or politics. And his compassion and concern for others is something Hawaii can be proud of," said Dr. Remedios Sonson, speaking for the group.

The doctors work in all parts of the Tanonaka's urban Oahu district. They are:

Dr. Danilo Ablan, Dr. Mary May Ablan, Dr. Elenita Alvarez, Dr. Araceli Asuncion, Dr. Marina Badua, Dr. Efren Baria, Dr. Glorifin Belmonte, Dr. Rodrigo Bristol, Dr. Salvador Cecilio, Dr. Antonio Cordero, Dr. Angel Cunanan, Dr. Jose De Leon, Dr. Edgar Dela Cruz, Dr. Benjamin Delgado, Dr. Fortunato Elizaga, Dr. Benjamin Gozun, Dr. Anthony Guerrero, Dr. Celina Guerrero, Dr. Reuben Guerrero, Dr. Anthony Hernandez, Dr. Corazon Cadiz, Hobbs. Dr. Maria Caridad Ilar, Dr. Nicanor Joaquin, Dr. Perlita Lampitoc, Dr. Benilda Luz, Dr. Gloria Madamba, Dr. Jose Madamba, Dr. Aurora Mariani, Dr. Danilo Perlas, Dr. Romeo Pineda, Dr. Ben Realica, Dr. Remedios Sonson, Dr. Gildo Soriano, Dr. Ramon Sy, Dr. Russell Tacata, Dr. Antonio Tan, Dr. Ignacio Torres, Dr. Myrna Valin, Dr. Arnold Villafuerte, Dr. Gavino Vinzons, Dr. Felicisima Ylarde and Dr. Antonio Ramos.

Tanonaka previously won the endorsement of the Hawaii Medical Association and Republican leaders locally and nationally.

For more on the campaign trail, see

"Report from the Hawaii Campaign Trail - Oct. 13, 2004"

Reach Malia Zimmerman, president and editor of Hawaii Reporter, via email at mailto:Malia@hawaiireporter.com

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