Associated Press
Monday, September 21, 1998; Page A06

HONOLULU, Sept. 20—Republicans in Hawaii are feeling confident that they can take the governor's office for the first time in 36 years following Saturday's strong primary victory by Maui Mayor Linda Lingle.

Lingle soundly beat five-time Honolulu Mayor Frank Fasi and advanced to a November general election showdown with incumbent Gov. Benjamin J. Cayetano (D), who had no serious challengers in winning his party's nomination.

The state's economy has shown little growth since the Persian Gulf War in 1991. Tourism is down substantially and bankruptcies are at an all-time high. In this volatile setting, Republicans believe they will win back a governor's mansion they last occupied in 1962.

A poll conducted for the Honolulu Advertiser and KHON-TV a week ago found Lingle ahead of Cayetano by 48 percent to 34 percent, with 18 percent undecided.

In congressional races, six-term Sen. Daniel K. Inouye easily defeated English teacher Richard Thompson for the Democratic senatorial nomination. Legislative aide Crystal Young won a six-person race of relative unknowns with 28 percent of the vote for the GOP.

Meanwhile, incumbent Reps. Patsy T. Mink (D) and Neil Abercrombie (D) earned overwhelming victories in their respective primaries. Abercrombie will face state Rep. Gene Ward, who won the Republican nomination. Mink, who served in Congress from 1964 to 1976 and then returned in 1990, will meet Carol Douglass.