[BillyBoy]

I have to admit, even though she's a "popular, two-term elected Governor" and the strongest candidate the GOP could have picked, I didn't see this one coming and didn't think Lingle would be terribly competitive for this longtime RAT Senate seat. This poll might actually be legit and the RINO has a shot at taking this seat.

I'd have to get drunk out of my mind to vote for her though... Lingle was an awful Governor and I dread the thought of having another liberal "R" in the Senate, even if it gives us a majority. I'm thinking the pacific tropical version of Susan Collins.

[cynwoody]

Lingle was an awful Governor and I dread the thought of having another liberal "R" in the Senate, even if it gives us a majority. I'm thinking the pacific tropical version of Susan Collins.

So, for whom are you going to vote?

Anyone who would prefer a Democrat senator to a Republican, even the most worthless RINO, obviously hasn't a clue as to how that organization works.

The goal this November must be ousting Obama and electing a House and Senate who will unravel his legislative achievements. In the voting booth, one must be prepared to set aside one's principles if so doing furthers the objective! Principles in the voting booth are for children!

[what's up]

The one thing Lingle did which was great was going against the green lobby to get a HI inter-island ferry running again.

Lingle had it running for awhile as she pushed the advantage for business locals who could travel from island to island promoting their family businesses.

But then the Whale People came in something fierce and defeated her and the ferry.

Lingle is a friend of Palin and introduced Sarah at the GOP convention in '08. I can't say anything like that about the Maine twins.

[fieldmarshaldj]

The HI GOP was left in even worse shape after her tenure than it was with Willard in MA (in other words, it’s dead). As I’ve said many times, I favor granting HI full independence. We don’t need a state that is thousands of miles from the mainland sending an all-Communist delegation being the difference between a GOP and Democrat Senate majority.

[AuH2ORepublican]

Yes, Lingle will be a tropical Susan Collins (albeit more pro-military). But Hirono will be a tropical Ted Kennedy, and serve in the Senate just as long. Six years of Lingle with a second bite at the apple in 2018 (although unless the HI GOP has developed a bench by then it likely will be Lingle vs. Dem hack again) sounds a lot better than 42 years of Hirono.

Maybe we can elect moderate-to-conservative Republican Charles Djou to the U.S. House this November (he was elected to Congress with well under 50% in a special election in early 2010 but lost in November), and eventually he can run for governor or U.S. senator. We probably will never be able to elect a Jesse Helms or Paul Laxalt to the Senate from HI, but some day we could elect someone right of center. We just don’t have the bench yet.