As the election season progresses, top Republican leaders are getting increasingly concerned about states — like Hawaii — with races that lack competition “on the top of the ticket” but still have critical Senate and House races. 

National GOP strategists plan to discuss Hawaii’s Senate race this week, Politico reports. Former Gov. Linda Lingle is an “A-list candidate” for the party, but she’ll have to overcome what’s expected to be a landslide victory for Barack Obama in the aloha state. 

Lingle will also have to thrive despite the party’s financial challenges in Hawaii. Locally, the GOP has suffered, and carried a heavy debt burden of more than $100,000 as of February. Lingle’s campaign has led the way in Senate race fundraising. She took in nearly $1.8 million in the three-month campaign finance period that ended with the calendar year. 

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