Voter turnout for Saturday's primary was 42 percent, only slightly higher than the past two primary elections despite a record number of absentee voters and the heavy media attention on the Democratic primary for Senate between U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka and U.S. Rep. Ed Case.

The strategy by both campaigns to target absentee voters, and the general convenience of voting by mail or by walk-in at early voting sites before election day, pushed absentee voting to 37 percent of the turnout. Two years ago, the absentee vote was 32 percent; it was 25 percent in 2002.

Democrats and Republicans, meanwhile, were still looking at the results of Saturday's primary and how any trends might shape the governor's race or state House and Senate campaigns. Most analysts predict Democrats will hold their super-majorities in both chambers, but the election may affect House and Senate leadership, particularly if Democrats suffer more than a few losses.

Two House Democratic incumbents, Bev Harbin and Kam Tanaka, lost on Saturday.

Tanaka, elected two years ago, was beaten by Angus McKelvey in House District 10 in West Maui . McKelvey, the vice president of a publishing and graphics firm, will face Republican doctor Ben Azman in the general election.

The controversial Harbin , who was appointed last year by Gov. Linda Lingle and was later asked to resign because of past legal trouble, lost to attorney Karl Rhoads in House District 28 downtown. Rhoads will face Republican computer consultant Collin Wong in November.

In one race that could have leadership fallout, Sen. Shan Tsutsui, D-4th (Kahului), beat former Sen. Jan Yagi Buen on Saturday and won re-election because there is no Republican challenger in November. Senate President Robert Bunda, D-22nd ( North Shore , Wahiawa ), had endorsed Buen, who had promised to back Bunda as president against dissident factions that include Tsutsui.

Several House and Senate races will be watched in November because they are for seats left open due to retirement or people leaving to run for higher office.

In Senate District 19 in Kapolei, where Democratic Sen. Brian Kanno is retiring, Republican and former Honolulu City Councilman Mike Gabbard is up against Democrat George Yamamoto, a retired police captain. In Senate District 24, where Republican Sen. Bob Hogue is leaving to run for the U.S. House, Democrat and former state party executive Jill Tokuda is facing off against Senate Republican researcher Keoki Leong.

In the House, some of the interesting races include House District 15 on Kaua'i, where Democratic Rep. Ezra Kanoho chose not to seek re-election. Kaua'i County Councilman James Tokioka, a Democrat, is facing Republican architect Ron Agor. In House District 25 in Makiki, which is being vacated by Democratic Rep. Brian Schatz, Democratic attorney Della Belatti is facing Republican state policy analyst Tracy Okubo.

The governor's race between Lingle and former Mililani state Sen. Randall Iwase will also generate interest after months when much of the political scene was consumed by Akaka and Case.

Lingle said yesterday that Democrats who attempt to link her to President Bush are trying to obscure the successes of her administration over the past four years.

Bush's approval rating in the Islands was 42 percent in September, according to SurveyUSA, a New Jersey polling firm, and several Democrats indicated at their unity breakfast yesterday morning that they would tie the Republican governor to the unpopular president in the coming weeks.

"Before it was Newt Gingrich, now it's George Bush. I called it the 'long ago and far away' theory," Lingle told reporters at a luncheon outside GOP headquarters. "They want to talk about the Republican Party of 50 years ago, and they want to talk about the Republican Party in Washington , D.C. , because if they allow people to focus today on the here and now in Hawai'i , what they will see is that the Republicans have brought the economy back.

"We have made huge progress in getting Native Hawaiians on to the land. We've gotten tax relief for people. We've passed a three-strikes law. It's safer for children in their neighborhoods because now we have a sexual predator registry."

U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, who hosted the Democrats' breakfast at the Pagoda Hotel, asked Democrats to recall their underdog victory in 1954 when they took control of the Territorial Legislature from Republicans despite poor odds. He told the crowd that an Iwase victory was possible.

"It can be done," the senator said.

Reach Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com and Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com

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