Scrambling before a vote that could define their political careers, U.S. Rep. Ed Case went on statewide television last night to speak to voters one last time before the Democratic primary for Senate, while U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka said he has dipped into his own pocket to combat a late independent push for Case.

Voters will go to the polls tomorrow to decide everything from which Democrat will face Gov. Linda Lingle in November and who will emerge from a crowded field seeking the U.S. House seat in the 2nd Congressional District to a variety of state legislative races.

But Case and Akaka were still commanding the most interest.

The 30-minute KHON2 broadcast was purchased by the Case campaign so he could explain his positions to voters in his own words and to clarify what he has called the distortions of the Akaka campaign. But the congressman mostly repeated differences with the senator on issues — such as the war in Iraq, oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, and electronic surveillance in the USA Patriot Act — that had already been documented throughout the campaign.

Case answered prepared questions from a handpicked audience in a "talk story" format that resembled public events he has held in the 2nd District over the past four years. He asked voters to pull a Democratic ballot tomorrow, but he said the country needs to move beyond partisan politics.

"What I am saying to the people of Hawai'i is that we've got to get away from evaluating every single issue based upon whether you're a Democrat or a Republican, whether you support President Bush or don't support President Bush," Case said. "I don't believe that that kind of discussion has been good for our country."

BOUGHT RADIO, TV ADS

Akaka, meanwhile, loaned his campaign $25,000 on Monday to pay for more television and radio advertising this week. The senator said he took the unusual step because his campaign was troubled by the late independent spending for Case by the National Association of Realtors and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

"I just wanted to show my commitment even more," Akaka said in a telephone interview while campaigning on Maui.

The Akaka campaign had raised $2.1 million by early September, compared with $627,750 by Case. Both campaigns have largely exhausted the money available for the primary and had plotted spending on ads through the final week. But the Akaka campaign became nervous last weekend about the Mainland money being spent for Case.

Part of the money Akaka and Case have on hand cannot be used for the primary because it was donated for use in the general election in November, so both campaigns have continued raising money for the primary over the past few weeks.

RECENT DONATIONS

Akaka has pulled in more than $80,000 to go along with his personal loan. The senator has received late donations from, among others, U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, former Gov. George Ariyoshi, former Gov. John Waihee, state Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee Oswald Stender, and former congressman and federal transportation secretary Norman Mineta.

Case has collected more than $50,000 over the past few weeks, including $5,000 from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's political action committee.

The Democratic primary for Senate is the main attraction tomorrow, but there are also several other engaging races on the ballot.

Voters will decide whether to listen to Lingle and other Republican leaders and vote for former Vietnam prisoner-of-war Jerry Coffee — who withdrew from the Senate Republican primary for health reasons but remains on the ballot — or go with a lesser known Republican to face either Akaka or Case in the general election. The state GOP would have until Tuesday to select a replacement if Coffee wins.

Voters will also choose who might replace Case in the 2nd District, which covers Central, Leeward and Windward O'ahu and the Neighbor Islands. The Democratic primary involves former Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono, former state Sen. Matt Matsunaga, state Sen. Colleen Hanabusa, state Sen. Clayton Hee, state Sen. Ron Menor, state Sen. Gary Hooser, state Rep. Brian Schatz, Honolulu City Councilman Nestor Garcia, attorney Joe Zuiker and biotechnology worker Hanalei Aipoalani.

The Republican primary is between former state Rep. Quentin Kawananakoa and state Sen. Bob Hogue.

The Democratic candidates appeared to be heading into the final stretch with low-key campaign strategies, leaning more toward grassroots campaigning than media blitzes. Candidates reached yesterday planned to island hop to talk to voters across the state, signwave and attend meet-and-greets. All the prominent Democrats planned to close out their campaigns at tonight's traditional grand rally in Hilo.

Although the Republicans had no similar plans for a unity gathering, their strategies also included reaching out to as many voters as possible to get them to the polls.

RACE FOR GOVERNOR

Democratic primary voters will get to pick whether former state Sen. Randall Iwase or Wai'anae harbormaster William Aila Jr. will challenge Lingle for governor in November. Lingle's campaign has been active even though the governor has only token opposition in the primary. Lingle's volunteers, according to the governor's campaign, have visited more than 108,000 homes across the state over the past several weeks.

Miriam Hellreich, who manages Lingle's re-election campaign, and Sam Aiona, the state GOP chairman, released an appeal this week for Republicans not to cross over into the Democratic primary.

Voters will be allowed to choose which ballot to take tomorrow regardless of their party affiliation. Some political analysts believe Case needs to hold his Democratic supporters and get independent and Republican crossover votes to beat Akaka, who is stronger among traditional Democrats.

"A balanced two-party system is in the best interest of all the people of Hawai'i, but it cannot be built when Republicans cross over in primaries and vote for Democrats," Hellreich, Aiona and national GOP committeeman Travis Thompson said in a statement.

Voters will also make choices in several competitive state House and Senate primaries, including whether to keep Lingle appointees Bev Harbin, a Democrat, in House District 28 downtown and Anne Stevens, a Republican, in House District 23 in Waikiki. There are also primaries to replace House members who are leaving office or are retiring from districts in Kalihi, Moanalua, Makiki, Hawai'i Kai, Lihu'e, Po'ipu, South Maui and Puna. There are primaries for two open Senate seats in Kane'ohe and Kapolei.

More voters have already cast absentee ballots than for any previous primary, with many additional ballots still to be counted.

More than 84,000 voters have cast absentee ballots through mail or in person so far, about 4,000 more than voted absentee in the 2004 primary, and about 11,000 more than did so in the 2002 primary, according to election officials.

The ballots include more than 58,000 cast on O'ahu, where 56,000 voted absentee in 2004 and 45,000 did so in 2002.

ABSENTEE BALLOTS

Honolulu City Clerk Denise DeCosta stressed that it is now too late to mail in completed absentee ballots. "We have a great deal of faith in the Postal Service, but they can't work miracles," she said.

Voters can still bring absentee mail-in ballots directly to the clerk's office by 4:30 p.m. today or 6 p.m. tomorrow.

In the Senate primary between Akaka and Case, the independent expenditures by the National Association of Realtors and the issue advocacy from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have allowed Case to have a much wider direct mail and television presence than his campaign could afford through its own money.

Case, who has had nothing to do with the Realtor or national Chamber outreach, has said the Akaka campaign has been hypocritical for pointing to his indirect Mainland help when the senator has received much more money directly from national political action committees. Akaka has also received money and organizational help from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and labor unions on the Mainland and in the Islands.

But the Mainland help for Case has unnerved the Akaka campaign and some of its allies.

John Komeiji, an attorney who supports Akaka, held a news conference yesterday afternoon complaining that a Realtors' direct mail piece for Case was misleading because it contained a photograph of a Waipahu retiree who actually favors Akaka.

Goro Arakawa, whose family once owned a popular general store in Waipahu, said his daughter called him wondering whether he was still supporting Akaka after she saw the mailer. The mailer does not include his name or say he endorses Case, but his photo — taken several years ago for a magazine story — appears over a statement of how Case is working to make healthcare affordable to small businesses, the self-employed and part-time workers.

"I was quite surprised," Arakawa said.

Reach Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com.