KIHEI — Even with the already strong support for Barack Obama on Maui, his half sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, thought it was important to return to the Valley Isle to keep up momentum as well as to throw her support behind state Sen. Roz Baker for re-election.

On Saturday, Soetoro-Ng made three public appearances around Maui, at a brunch in Kihei, at the Kihei Charter High School and at a rally for Obama at the Maui Waena Intermediate School in Kahului early Saturday evening that drew several hundred supporters, The Maui News reported.

Soetoro-Ng, a teacher on O'ahu, posed for photos, talked story with Obama supporters and attracted young supporters, some too young to vote.

She was on Maui in February to drum up support for her brother before the Democratic caucuses that gave him an overwhelming 78 percent of the votes cast in Maui County.

Soetoro-Ng told The Maui News she was on the island again to show her "love and appreciation.

"And to encourage people to reach out not only to neighbors and friends and co-workers, also people beyond the islands, in swing states on the Mainland."

She succeeded in reviving some of the excitement felt when hundreds of new Democrats turned out for the caucuses to support Obama.

"This has energized us to be politically active," said Erin Kelley, a Lahaina resident who said she also had participated in the Feb. 19 Democratic caucus.

Soetoro-Ng said she wanted to ensure that voters don't turn "lazy and apathetic" as she urged her audiences to keep up their support of her brother and to support other Democrats such as Baker, who will contribute to reversing the Republican legacy.

Baker, an honorary chairwoman of the Obama campaign on Maui, said she was delighted to have Soetoro-Ng express her support for Baker's campaign. Baker, who holds the 5th Senate District seat, is being challenged by Republican Jan Shields in what is expected to be a hard fight to represent the West Maui-South Maui district.

Baker said that, to be effective, even a president needs to have federal and state levels of government working together, and that is something she could do with Obama.

"You need support up and down the line," Baker said. "It was nice to hear (Soetoro-Ng) say it as well."

Mayor Charmaine Tavares also attended the brunch, saying she was there to welcome Soetoro-Ng, of whom she thinks highly.

But she told The Maui News her presence was not an endorsement and added that if Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain came to Maui, she would do the same. Tavares said she remains an independent, unaffiliated with either of the major political parties, although her father, the late Mayor Hannibal Tavares, was a longtime Republican Party leader.

Tavares said she appreciated Soetoro-Ng's visit and hoped that it would translate to a better turnout in the polls come November. She called the primary turnout "dismal."

Maui's voting record may be improving with the number of teenagers and young adults showing enthusiasm in the system at Saturday's events, drawn by Obama's appeal to younger voters.

Erin Kelley, 28, and husband, Jason, 32, said they drove in from Lahaina to hear Soetoro-Ng speak in the Kihei Charter School auditorium, two among about 100 adults and students.

The couple said it was the first political rally they'd attended. Erin Kelley said she likes what Obama has to offer and the change he would bring to the nation.

"I just think he's got a lot of fresh ideas. … I think he really looks out for the middle class," she said.

Jason Kelley said that in the last presidential election he voted for Democrat John Kerry but wasn't as enthused about Kerry as he is for Obama, who he said is appealing to Democrats, independents and even Republicans.

"They are starting to see the light," he said.

Jon Miller, 27, of Kihei, attended the brunch hoping to learn more about Obama firsthand.

"I think it's important for young people to try and get a better taste of the political process," he said.

Precy Gerard, 32, who was at the brunch because her husband, Mahealani, was giving the blessing, said she is "definitely an Obama supporter."

She said she hoped Obama would help her husband, an Army reservist, stay out of the war.

Several students from Kihei Charter School attending the brunch, Kayla Pinney, Liz Zarro and Masha Yepimakhina, listened intently to Soetoro-Ng's speech and were excited to hear her again at their school. The teens said they preferred Obama to McCain. Although they won't be old enough to vote by Nov. 4, they wanted to help him get elected.

"Obama has fresh ideas and is more open-minded," Zarro said.

Yepimakhina, an exchange student from Russia, said she liked Obama's economic plans.

Kihei resident and Obama supporter Teri Sherrow said she went to the brunch to get up close and personal with Soetoro-Ng in order to learn more about Obama and how to campaign for him.

"I wanted to know how we can help him become our next president," Sherrow said.

By speaking with Soetoro-Ng, Sherrow said she found out Obama is honest, sees both sides of the issues, and is decisive but not impulsive.

Sherrow said she is thinking about making a trip back home to Colorado, a swing state, to campaign there.

Kihei Charter School parent Nancy Quinsaat, who said she'll vote for Obama, said his personality showed through during Friday's nationally televised debate with John McCain.

She thought that he was more open-minded than McCain, whom she saw as patronizing.

Soetoro-Ng said she felt positive about her brother's performance Friday night.

"I think he won the debate, personally," she said while flashing a wide smile. "I think he did very well."

She confessed that she could only see portions of the debate as she had other commitments.

"Of all the segments that I saw, I thought it showed him quite confident and smart, decisive, and I think he showed he was able to hold his own on foreign policy and the economy."

As for critics saying that the debate showed Obama lacks experience, Soetoro-Ng said she "respectfully disagrees." She said her brother has displayed his experience as a legislator, community organizer, senator and attorney.

With the current state of the national economy becoming the major factor in the presidential campaign, she said the situation signals a need for change.

"I think it's clear that many of the challenges we face are the direct result of poor judgment of our Republican leadership," she said.

While Soetoro-Ng said she wouldn't want to be saddled with the problems America faces, she knows her brother is willing and able to handle the presidency.

"My brother wants the job. He's ready for the job."

More Maui News at www.mauinews.com.