 Former Maui Mayor Linda Lingle, who had narrowly lost the 1998 election, was nominated once again by the Republicans while Lieutenant Governor Mazie Hirono earned the Democratic nomination in a tightly fought race.Lingle and Hirono duked it out in a toughly-fought campaign, with Hirono's campaign crippled by allegations of corruption within the Hawaii Democratic Party and many voters desiring a change.Ultimately, Lingle defeated Hirono in one of the state's closest gubernatorial elections, making her the first Republican Governor of Hawaii since 1962 and the state's first ever female Governor.