Twelve-year Senate veteran Roz Baker faces a challenge this year by outspoken Malulani hospital advocate Jan Shields for South and West Maui's seat in the state Senate in what's expected to be one of the most-watched races of the election season, the Maui News reported today.

With Shields and Baker having clashed in the past over state hospital systems, health care is shaping up to be a key issue in the race. The Maui News story also said Baker must first overcome a primary challenge by fellow Democrat and first-time candidate Bart Mulvihill in order to meet Shields in the general election for the Senate's 5th District race.

"Roz is a seasoned veteran," said West Maui Taxpayers Association Executive Director Ezekiela Kalua. "She's got the inside track. It's almost fair to call Jan the underdog."

While health care will be "really, really big" in the campaign, Shields' focus on the issue also could backfire, if voters perceive her as being a one-issue candidate, Kalua added; in contrast, Baker has been involved in a wide range of issues.

However, Shields' advocacy for Malulani has shown voters her mettle, he said.

"If she applies as much passion and effort to a Senate position, she could probably be very good," Kalua said.

Baker, 61, chairs the Senate's powerful Ways and Means Committee. As former chairwoman of the Health Committee, she's also been immersed in numerous health care issues.

Shields, 54, is a registered nurse and a founder of the Association for Improved Healthcare on Maui, from which she continues to receive a salary. She was active in lobbying for Malulani Health Systems' bid to develop a new hospital in Kihei; when the project was denied a certificate of need by the State Health Planning and Development Agency she pushed for a bill to overhaul the permit process. The bill failed to pass.

That experience inspired her to run for office, Shields said.

"I knew then and there that we were not going to get a hospital without some changes in the Legislature, and that was the push I needed," she said.

She is running as a Republican.

Shields is calling for the privatization of the state hospital system.

Shields acknowledged that she will have to overcome the perception that she is a one-issue candidate.

But she said she'd also focus on West Maui infrastructure, especially the long-awaited Lahaina bypass and improvements to Honoapiilani Highway. Shields also said she was concerned about recent crackdowns on small businesses like commercial wedding operators and ocean activity providers.

While Baker's seniority and high-profile chairmanship make her a formidable incumbent, Shields said she wasn't intimidated.

"Because she's in that powerful position, I do feel she should have been able to bring home more bacon," she said. "I don't feel she's as effective a legislator as she should be."

Baker pointed to some of her accomplishments in the Senate, including helping secure $20 million for a Kihei high school, funding for the Lahaina bypass and road-widening projects, a new Wailea ambulance and Maui's medevac helicopter.

"I have a solid record of fighting for the many needs in my district, and winning for my constituents," she said.

She said her seniority and position give Maui an edge.

"As chair of the Senate's money committee, I have a unique opportunity to ensure that Maui's infrastructure and other needs are addressed even in these challenging economic times," Baker said.

Baker said she agrees Maui needs a second hospital, but that it should be developed in a way that doesn't hurt Maui Memorial Medical Center.

"I have long supported a community hospital on the west side and the effort to develop one," she said.

Rather than focusing only on the hospital question, Baker said she's worked to address "systemic problems" in health care, including training to increase the nursing work force, physician recruitment and retention, and long-term care.

"Complex problems often require a variety of approaches to find consensus for solutions," she said.

Mulvihill, 48, is also focusing on a second hospital in his campaign. With the Hawaii Health Systems Corp. announcing multimillion-dollar losses and pending layoffs, he said getting a new facility would be even more of an uphill battle.

"I'm very concerned the West Maui hospital will not get built or will be stalled again," Mulvihill said.

He was also campaigning on education, transportation and housing issues, saying the state should develop subsidized low-income housing projects in West Maui.

A Seabury Hall graduate and real estate broker, Mulvihill also criticized Baker for not accomplishing more with her position. "I think Roz really dropped the ball," he said.

Party leaders agreed Baker's influence in the Senate would make her a tough candidate, but could also be a double-edged sword.

"There's no question Roz is a powerful woman," said Maui County Republican Party Chairwoman Kay Ghean. "She could really be helping Maui, but she hasn't."

Baker's role in blocking legislation overhauling the certificate of need process could be unpopular with voters, she added.

At the same time, Shields gained notice through her lobbying for Malulani, Ghean said.

"She has a lot of supporters who've had to leave the island for health care, so people understand that issue," she said.

Maui Democratic Party Chairman Lance Holter said he also felt Baker's leadership role could put her in a tricky position.

With the state facing an enormous revenue shortfall, it's not necessarily a political advantage to be holding the purse strings, he noted.

"She's the one who's going to be tightening the belt, so there's going to be a lot of upset people," he said.

Holter also said Mulvihill and other first-time candidates should avoid making too many campaign pledges in a year when the state won't have money to back them up.

"I would caution anyone against promising miracles at this point," he said.

* Ilima Loomis can be reached at iloomis@mauinews.com.