The most successful Hawaii Republican politician in a generation, Gov. Linda Lingle, has been practically invisible on the campaign trail since the primary election.

By contrast, leading Democratic candidates for state and federal office have the public support of top past and current party leaders.

Sure, Lingle’s pretty unpopular right now. That’s what happens when school children get furloughed.

But Barack Obama is pretty unpopular, too (at least nationally). That hasn’t stopped him from making strong endorsements of Neil Abercrombie for governor and Colleen Hanabusa for Congress.

Lingle has not appeared in ads supporting either James “Duke” Aiona or Lynn Finnegan, though it was Lingle who brought both into politics.

Despite recent polls showing the governor’s race still within Republican’s grasp, Lingle hasn’t been seen much since the morning after the primary election, when winning and losing candidates gathered for a unity event at GOP headquarters near downtown Honolulu.

On Thursday, Lingle did show up — to respond to a TV commercial paid for by Hawaii Democrats that ridiculed her administration’s role during the demise of Aloha Airlines and Hawaii Superferry.

She was brutal in her condemnation of the ad, calling it a baseless, 11th-hour smear from a “failing” campaign (i.e., Abercrombie’s). She said that if Abercrombie had any character and if Sen. Daniel K. Inouye walked his own talk about keeping campaigns clean and issue-oriented, they’d order their party to pull the offending ad.

But Lingle’s press conference Thursday seemed far more about defending her legacy than helping Aiona’s candidacy to succeed her.

In the Superferry’s case, for example, she recycled her well-trod arguments that her administration had followed the law and consulted the proper agencies regarding environmental reviews for the private inter-island transportation project.

The Hawaii Supreme Court, of course, felt otherwise.

Campaigning During Spare Time

Asked why she seemed largely absent from the election, Lingle countered that the press has been absent from covering her.

“I’ve missed you guys on the campaign trail,” she told reporters Thursday at the governor’s fifth floor executive office at the Capitol. “I was on Maui earlier today dedicating an outstanding project for senior citizen affordable housing in Kihei. A truly remarkable project. Yesterday I was in Kalaeloa dedicating a new Sopogy solar project that’s going to provide 5 megawatts of power. And I didn’t see you out there. Then after that I dedicated the new international arrivals corridor, yesterday, and I didn’t see see any of you. I think I saw a camera out there, but I didn’t see any of you there.”

The governor continued: “So, my administration is focused on its work, and on finishing our plans until the last day. This was our commitment to the people and that’s what we will continue to do.”

Then came this: “I have been campaigning for both Charles Djou and Duke Aiona in my spare time, in my free time. They may not be at events where you’re at. But I am spending all my free time I can helping all of our candidates. But today’s news conference is about being clear on my administration’s record. We’re a team that has a lot of pride, and we’ve worked very hard for eight years, and we’re not going to stand by and allow the Democrat Party to try to prop up its candidate at our expense by spreading blatant falsehoods.”

In a follow-up question, the governor was asked why she was not seen more publicly — and in front of the media — in such a close election when it might help Djou and Aiona.

“As I say, I just don’t see you guys where I am,” Lingle replied. “I was with the lieutenant governor yesterday at Kalaeloa. You guys were’t there.”

Told by a Civil Beat reporter that the Kalaeola appearance was part of her official duties as compared with campaigning, Lingle cut him off.

“I’m working, I’m working every day,” she said. “And I’ll continue to until the last day.”

With that the governor thanked the media for coming to her press conference, and left.

Top Democrats Everywhere

Travis Taylor, Aiona’s communications director, did not respond to Civil Beat’s inquiry asking how many campaign events Lingle had appeared at since the Sept. 18 primary.

But Erin Kealoha, communications director for the Hawaii Republican Party, said, “I can tell you she’s been heavily involved in our House and Senate races, has attended several HRP rallies for candidates and also hosted along with HRP a dinner for candidates (plus wives and campaign teams) at a private residence where she was able to spend some personal time getting to know each candidate and address any concerns or questions they had about running for elected office in Hawaii.”

Kealoha said Lingle was tentatively scheduled to visit with Republican candidates Saturday, but details were still being finalized.

By contrast, leading Democrats are all over the campaign trail.

For example, former Gov. John D. Waihee gave a rousing endorsement of Abercrombie and running mate Brian Schatz at a party rally Tuesday night at McKinley High School in Honolulu.

Sen. Inouye did the same, warning his party that if it did not turn out to vote, the state could see another 1954 revolution — in reverse. Inouye was referring to the year Democrats took control of the territorial Legislature.

(Yes, Inouye is up for re-election, but no one seriously thinks Republican Cam Cavasso will unseat the most powerful politician in Hawaii.)

Former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann is on TV urging support of Abercrombie, who defeated him in the primary, and former Congressman Ed Case has been sign waving with Hanabusa, who edged him out for second place in the special election.

This week the Democrats have taken their show on the road, beginning Thursday on Maui, Kauai on Friday, Oahu this weekend and the Big Island Monday.

Per tradition, the party will wrap things up Monday night at Hilo’s Mooheau Park Bandstand.

The lineup for the campaign swing is an all-star bench: Inouye, Abercrombie, Hanabusa, Schatz, Sen. Daniel Akaka, Rep. Mazie Hirono, party chairman Dante Carpenter and other elected officials, candidates and community leaders.

An Aiona-Finnegan statewide bus tour that began Tuesday on Kauai and concludes Saturday on Oahu makes no mention of Gov. Lingle.

Perhaps she’ll show up.

But in a Wednesday press release announcing that Aiona and Finnegan had concluded 22 “Connecting Communities” meetings across the state, Lingle was not mentioned, either.

But Rep. Djou and candidates John Willoughby and Cam Cavasso did participate in the events.

Lingle, McCain and Palin in ’08

Lingle’s defense at her press conference that she is busy running the state and campaigning in her spare time is also a starkly different story than the 2008 presidential election.

She campaigned heavily for John McCain and Sarah Palin that year, and delivered a primetime address on the third night of the 2008 Republican National Convention praising the ticket.

A September blog post on the Honolulu Star-Bulletin‘s website reported that Lingle was scheduled to make a six-state tour on behalf of the candidates, including New Hampshire and St. Louis, the site of Palin’s vice presidential debate with Joe Biden.

Lingle was expected to “appear as one of the campaign’s primary surrogates afterward,” wrote reporter B.J. Reyes.

The next presidential election is 2012, when Lingle has said she is seriously considering running for the seat now held by Akaka.

Wonder who’ll campaign for her?