Incumbent Democratic Governor of Hawaii Ben Cayetano was term-limited and therefore could not run for re-election.

[1] The influence of migrants from the mainland as well as the decease in party loyalty of ethnic groups led more voters towards Lingle.

Mayor Jeremy Harris was highly expected to win the Democratic gubernatorial primary but didn't run.

Hirono then switched to the gubernatorial race, but with a late start she didn't have much time to campaign and raise money.

We rank last in jobs creation and first in poverty increase" and argued that Hirono bore part of the blame.

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.

Ben Cayetano stopped Public Land Trust (PLT) funds from being transferred to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA).

Hirono didn't make any commitments but Lingle promised to restart PLT funds.