Former Hawaii governor Linda Lingle announced Tuesday that she will seek the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Democrat Daniel Akaka, who is retiring.
Ms. Lingle, a Republican, said she has experience in getting people to work together regardless of party affiliation. She announced her candidacy on KSSK radio in Honolulu. The former governor left office in 2010 due to term limits.
Democrats reacted to the announcement Tuesday, pointing to Ms. Lingle’s ties to former Alaska governor Sarah Palin. At the 2008 Republican convention, Ms. Lingle formally nominated the then-Alaska governor to be the party’s vice presidential candidate.
“Now Lingle wants to go to Washington to become a rubber-stamp for Mitch McConnell and the Republican party whose sole priority is to defeat President Obama at every turn,” the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said in statement responding to Ms. Lingle’s announcement.
Ms. Lingle’s entry into he race comes as Democratic Rep. Mazie Hirono and former Rep. Ed Case are competing for the Democratic party’s nomination.
A battle between Lingle and Hirono would be a repeat of the 2002 governor’s race, which Lingle won by 5 percentage points. Lingle handily won reelection in 2006, with 63% of the vote.
