In a race where the candidates appear much the same, how does a voter decide among them?

All the 2nd Congressional District candidates have public service experience, and with positions that fall along partisan lines, none of the 10 Democrats and two Republicans has managed to peel away from their primary opponents.

Ideally, candidates would be associated with distinct issues and distanced from each other in clear ways.

"I don't think the candidates have been successful in doing either one of those, probably because a lot of them are fairly young and they haven't had a lot of time," said University of Hawai'i professor Neal Milner. "It's not like they spent years planning for an election."

Of the Democratic candidates in the race to succeed Ed Case, only gas cap architect Sen. Ron Menor has effectively tied himself to an issue currently prominent in the public consciousness.

The others, while not lacking in passion on issues such as the war in Iraq, the environment and education, have struggled to get the public to associate them with a similar pet issue.

For instance, "Brian Schatz is very sympathetic to the environment, but that's not yet translated to, 'That's a Schatz thing,' " Milner said. "It's hard for them to distinguish themselves from one another when they share a lot of beliefs."

The task is no easier for the two Republicans, who both have legislative backgrounds and share the opinions that the United States needs to stay the course in Iraq, that Native Hawaiians deserve federal recognition and that while the federal No Child Left Behind Act has drawn attention to needed improvements to the public schools, changes to the law must be made.

"The differences (between them) are not obvious," Milner said. "(Neither) of the Republican candidates seems to be running their campaign in a way to highlight their differences" by calling for debates or insisting on joint forums.

However, with only two candidates, Hogue and Kawananakoa have been able to draw attention to some differences, points out John Hart, assistant dean of communication at Hawai'i Pacific University. For instance, Kawananakoa can draw attention to his Hawaiian lineage, while Hogue has pointed out that while Kawananakoa formerly served in the state House, Hogue is currently engaged in politics.

Their differences were also highlighted in a public battle, when Kawananakoa called on Hogue to discontinue his Midweek sports column for the duration of the campaign, which Hogue countered by saying he had to earn a living because he didn't have access to a vast fortune, as Campbell Estate heir Kawananakoa does.

However, when it comes to the issues, despite some differences, both Hogue and Kawananakoa fall under the category of moderate Republican, Hart said.

TAKE A CLOSE LOOK

While many speculate that the win will go to whoever has the greatest name recognition, analysts say voters should take a more in-depth look and examine the person as well as where he or she stands.

Hart said voters need to consider not only candidates' views on the issues, but also their expertise, trustworthiness and likability.

The issues the candidates face today are not necessarily the ones they will face in the future, he pointed out. "Do you trust them to do the research? Are they competent to make those decisions down the road we don't know about?"

Milner said voters can try to determine who would be the best at going about the work of Congress.

According to Milner, good politicians can express themselves clearly, are service-oriented, ethical and responsible, he said.

"You really have to be political in the good sense," he said. "Whether you're a Democrat or Republican, that doesn't mean that you compromise and look for the middle of the road," he said. Rather, he said, it means being able to earn the respect of others even while you are disagreeing with them.

Republicans, and even some moderate Democrats, argue that the best representative would be someone who is able to work with Republicans, who represent the majority in Congress.

But U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, a Democrat who represents the 1st Congressional District and is heavily favored to be re-elected, emphasized that the best candidate would be able to work well within the currently all-Democrat Hawai'i delegation.

In Congress, more so than in local politics, required skills include teamwork, partnership and a willingness to reach out to the other three members of the delegation.

"It's not necessarily working as one on all issues, but not working at cross-purposes," Abercrombie said.

Steering clear of making any endorsement, Abercrombie noted all the Democratic candidates have avoided warring with each other and are trying to present their best sides rather than expose their opponents' worst.

"Everybody is looking at the others and saying they have various virtues, but mine are better," he said.

NO GREAT DRAMA

The problem with this kind of collegial campaign is it makes it difficult to rise above others with similar views and political experience.

"That doesn't make for great TV. It doesn't make for great drama, and I don't think anybody's going to break out," Abercrombie said. "Nobody has any time or money to do anything. That's going to leave a lot of voters in the dark about who is the best person to vote for."

To many observers, former Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono is the candidate to beat in the Democratic primary, simply because she is the most well-known candidate. She also has the largest campaign war chest of any Democrat.

Milner agreed that Hirono has an advantage, but in this kind of free-for-all, victory is not a given.

"If there's ever a chance for an underdog, it's in this kind of election," he said. "This is about as good as you're going to get."

No Republican has ever held the 2nd Congressional seat, and only one Republican — Pat Saiki — has served in the 1st District.

That, combined with all the prominent candidates in the Democratic primary, causes the GOP race to be somewhat overlooked.

"We tend to automatically forget that there is a Republican primary," Hart said.

However, both Hart and Milner noted that either of the two Republicans could present a formidable challenge to whichever Democrat emerges.

"Democrats are odds-on the favorite here, but whoever gets that (Democratic) nomination is going to have a respectable fight on his or her hands," Milner said.

Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.