HONOLULU — Republican presidential candidates have been focused on primaries in the South, but they still made a point to send some aloha Hawaii’s way.
HONOLULU — Republican presidential candidates have been focused on primaries in the South, but they still made a point to send some aloha Hawaii’s way.
Although none of the candidates have made a campaign stop in the islands, Ronnie Paul, Elizabeth Santorum and Matt Romney crossed the Pacific to rally support for their fathers heading into tonight’s GOP caucus.
Newt Gingrich, who spoke to the Maui Tea Party in September, kept his attention fixed on Alabama and Mississippi primaries that could make or break his bid for the nomination.
Hawaii’s caucus is the first of its kind for the Hawaii Republicans, who did away with straw polling in hope that a binding caucus will energize the party and build membership.
From 6 to 8 p.m., party officials anticipate between 5,000 to 10,000 Republicans will visit caucus sites across the state to cast ballots for Gingrich, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney or Rick Santorum.
“It’s very exciting,” Hawaii Republican Party Chairman David Chang said on Monday. “The three campaigns are generating a lot of buzz from voters who might not otherwise have known much about the candidates.”
He pointed out that the Paul campaign bought local television ad time and Santorum paid for a robo-call, both of which are rare investments in national GOP races.
Hawaii voters tend to support Democratic presidential candidates, and as the birthplace of Democratic President Barack Obama, that isn’t likely to change in November. The heightened activity reflects how tight the GOP race is.
Frontrunner Romney is on pace to secure the delegates needed to clinch the nomination in June. However, other candidates could still be in the running at the GOP convention in August if Romney doesn’t collect the 1,144 delegates necessary for an uncontested victory.
As a result, Hawaii’s 20 delegates matter. All but the state’s three “super delegates” will be bound to candidates based solely on today’s caucus results.
Romney reached out to Hawaii voters through a conference call from Florida on Friday. On Sunday, his son Matt Romney arrived on Oahu for a series of public events, including a lunchtime meet-and-greet at Hawaii Republican Party headquarters. He also set aside time to meet with supporters on the North Shore, which has a significant Latter-day Saints population.
Ronnie Paul Jr., along with his father’s national campaign manager John Tate, launched the Texas Congressman’s Hawaii campaign at the Hilton Alana Waikiki Hotel on Saturday, with several other events scheduled over four days.
Elizabeth Santorum has also been visible around Oahu, where she’s spent time sign-waving during rush hour and meeting with voters. She also planned to use GOP headquarters for a meet-and-greet potluck, scheduled for Monday evening.
Despite the flurry of activity, Chang opted against revising his conservative estimate of 5,000 to 7,000 caucus participants.
Since Hawaii’s caucus process is untested, “it’s impossible to know how many people are going to show up,” said Chang, who arrived at his estimate because caucuses historically attract about 30 percent of party members.
Hawaii has about 17,000 to 20,000 Republican households.