Feb 14, 2008 9:35 am US/Pacific
Clinton Courts Hawaiian Voters
Democratic Candidate Promises Boost In Tourism, Help With Fuel Ahead of Tuesday Primary
HONOLULU (AP) ―
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Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) answers questions from the media following a tour of the General Motors Allison Transmission Plant Feb. 11, 2008 in White Marsh, Md.
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Hillary Rodham Clinton pledged Wednesday to "pay special attention to Hawaii" with plans to rejuvenate tourism, reduce reliance on foreign oil and help veterans as the islands prepare for their Democratic caucus next week.
Clinton's "Solutions for Hawaii" plan comes ahead of a difficult caucus vote Tuesday in the islands, where rival Barack Obama was born, raised and graduated high school.
"I know we face an uphill battle in the state, but we plan to run a vigorous and successful campaign," Clinton said.
Neither candidate has planned campaign trips to Hawaii, but Obama's half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, is campaigning for him locally.
If elected president, Clinton said her programs would strengthen Hawaii's economy, invest in renewable energy and remedy a shortage of public school teachers.
"I will pay special attention to Hawaii because I know how tourism-dependent Hawaii is," Clinton said in a conference call with reporters from San Antonio, Texas.
Clinton said she, too, has strong ties to Hawaii because she has visited the state five times since 1993. Also, former President Bill Clinton was responsible for signing the 1993 Apology Resolution that recognized the overthrow of the kingdom of Hawaii in 1893.
There are only 20 delegates at stake in Hawaii on Tuesday - the same day as the Wisconsin primary - but a Clinton victory would put a dent in Obama's recent string of wins in eight states.
Clinton emphasized that her broad plans have specific benefits for Hawaii.
She said she would maintain military spending, support a proposed light-rail system in Honolulu and sign into law a proposal recognizing Native Hawaiians.
"We can make investments like light rail as we grow the economy," Clinton said. "I will certainly help Hawaii and Honolulu deal with these problems."
Obama has not yet released proposals targeted at Hawaii, but campaign spokesman Brian Schatz said his views more closely reflect those of island voters.
"Obama's foreign policy is more in line with Hawaii's perspective. He got the war right the first time," Schatz said. "We think that his understanding of diversity comes from his upbringing here."
Clinton said her "Tour America Initiative" would bring visitors to Hawaii through a federal government-funded marketing campaign that would create a Web site to promote tourism in the United States and dispel misperceptions about difficulties of traveling to the United States.
Her proposed $50 billion investment in researching, developing and deploying alternative energy would directly benefit Hawaii, which currently imports about 90 percent of its fuel, she said.
A $1 billion Green Building Fund would improve energy efficiency in 84,000 buildings in Hawaii. Together, these energy programs would create 2,100 jobs in Hawaii and lower energy costs, the campaign said.
More than 100,000 veterans living in Hawaii would benefit from Clinton's programs by improving health care, offering loans for their business ventures and enabling Filipino World War II veterans to bring their families to the United States, she said.
Clinton has released similar state-specific initiatives in several other states, a campaign spokeswoman said.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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