With Hawaii in the international spotlight due to APEC, more people are beginning to take notice of the political battles playing out in the state. 

In an article published on Friday, ABC news wrote about the 2012 race for U.S. Senate. Sen. Daniel Akaka announced last winter that he won’t seek re-election. 

Democratic Rep. Mazie Hirono and former Rep. Ed Case, also a Democrat, will face off in an August 2012 primary. The best-known Republican candidate, former Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle, has made the race a must-watch on a national level.

The stakes are high.

Here’s how ABC put it: “First, it was President Obama’s Senate seat in his hometown of Illinois that Democrats lost. Now, they are in danger of losing a key seat in the president’s birthplace of Hawaii, which could jeopardize their senatorial majority.”

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