Aloha,

While a poll released today by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser shows Duke Aiona leading among Independents and Hawaiians in the race for Governor, it is geared toward 70 percent of an electorate preparing for a contentious Democratic primary election.

Of the 604 likely voters polled, 425 said they were planning to vote in the Democratic primary.

These results, which show Duke Aiona trailing his potential Democratic opponents, do not accurately reflect the coalition of Republicans, Independents and moderate Democrats we're cultivating to achieve victory in November.

Our survey research continues to show that the general election matchup will be very close.

Without putting up any ads, Duke Aiona already attracts the best favorability numbers among his potential opponents and leads key voting blocks.

And, with more than 21,000 votes cast, he leads a poll being conducted by Pacific Business News.

Our campaign will continue to focus our efforts at the grassroots level, reaching out to Hawai`i's working families and small businesses on the issues they care about most.

Duke Aiona is the only candidate who will make sure we get the most out of every dollar we invest in education. He is the only candidate who will hold the line on taxes, create job opportunities and keep down the financial burden on our working families and small businesses. He is the only candidate who will keep Hawai`i on track to achieve a clean energy future.

Heartfelt aloha always,

Mark "Dutch" Hanohano

www.DukeAiona.com