The 2002 Hawaii gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2002, to select the Governor of Hawaii. Incumbent DemocraticGovernor of HawaiiBen Cayetano was term-limited and therefore could not run for re-election. Former Maui MayorLinda Lingle, who had narrowly lost the 1998 election, was nominated once again by the Republicans while Lieutenant GovernorMazie Hirono earned the Democratic nomination in a tight race. Lingle and Hirono duked it out in a hard-fought campaign, with Hirono's campaign crippled by allegations of corruption within the Hawaii Democratic Party and many voters desiring a change.[1] Ultimately, Lingle defeated Hirono in a close election, making her the first Republican Governor of Hawaii since 1962 and the state's first ever female governor. Ten years later, there would be a rematch between the two when they were both nominees for an open U.S. Senate seat in 2012, which Hirono would win by a landslide, similarly becoming the state's first female United States Senator.
Lingle was critical of the way that Hirono had handled education and economic issues as lieutenant governor; in a TV spot premiered by the Lingle campaign in September, the Republican noted that "Reading scores are now among the worst in the nation. We rank last jobs creation and first in poverty increase" and argued that Hirono bore part of the blame.[3] Hirono responded that low reading scores could be attributed to the fact that many Hawaiian students — such as Hirono, herself an immigrant from Japan — were learning English as a second language. She also pointed to legislation which she had supported to "improve teacher quality" and boost test scores, and commented that "I'd like to know what Linda has done" to further the cause.[3]
Federal government
Ballot measures
Honolulu
