U.S. Rep. Ed Case has bought a half-hour of television time tomorrow night to make a final plea to voters to choose him over U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka in Saturday's Democratic primary for Senate.

The congressman has also released a new television advertisement that reminds voters Akaka was ranked by Time magazine as among the worst in the Senate, as his campaign gets more aggressive in the closing days before the primary.

Akaka's campaign has released a new television ad featuring an endorsement from Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann and will debut its closing ad today that advisers describe as a personal appeal from the senator.

Both campaigns are shifting into get-out-the-vote mode and are trying to quickly cover any last-minute moves.

The rare buy of a block of television time is a change in strategy for Case, who said he wanted another chance to speak to voters directly and to counter months of advertising by the Akaka campaign that he believes has misrepresented his record.

"At the same time, Senator Akaka has carefully controlled his own public appearances and interaction with voters, leaving most of his talking to his consultants and others," Case said in a statement. "His refusal to debate has been another part of an overall strategy of diversion and deception without accountability."

The 7 p.m. broadcast on KHON2 will be in the "talk story" format that Case has perfected over the past four years as a congressman.

Elisa Yadao, an Akaka campaign spokeswoman, took exception to Case's description of Akaka as deceptive and said Case had his chance to debate the senator in August. "Senator Akaka is a man of unquestionable integrity," she said.

IDENTIFYING VOTERS

The campaigns have been identifying potential voters over the past several months but now have to make sure they actually vote.

Higher voter turnout on Saturday could help Akaka because the Islands still trend politically toward traditional Democrats. The senator would also likely gain if more Hawaiians, who usually vote in lower numbers, are motivated to come out. Case, however, could benefit by an increase in independent voters who may have been missed by public-opinion polls because they did not identify themselves as likely Democratic primary voters.

Case, a moderate, has asked all voters who want change to vote in the Democratic primary, a veiled appeal to independents and Republican crossover voters. The latest Honolulu Advertiser/KHNL News 8 Hawai'i Poll found Case leading among independents and Republicans, while Akaka led among Democrats.

The Case campaign has identified voters who have backed the congressman in previous elections and voters in demographically changing regions of the state that will likely be friendly to him on Saturday. Campaign volunteers are making phone calls, waving signs and doing some isolated door-to-door canvassing.

The campaign has been concentrating much of its energy on O'ahu, the state's population center, where Case did well in his close loss in the 2002 Democratic primary for governor. The Hawai'i Poll found that the race is closer on O'ahu than on the Neighbor Islands, where Akaka has a wider lead.

GOING 'FLAT OUT'

Case said voters in his 2nd Congressional District, which covers Central, Leeward and Windward O'ahu and the Neighbor Islands, likely know him better so he has spent more time on the 1st Congressional District in urban Honolulu. Case may also be able to find more independent and Republican crossover votes in the 1st District, where Gov. Linda Lingle is the biggest draw on the Republican ballot.

"We're going to go flat out through election day," Case said in an interview.

Akaka's campaign has used polling and telephone outreach during the campaign to identify about 55,000 voters who would likely favor Akaka but have an uneven history of voting. Traditional Democrats who are regular voters have probably received a postcard and an automated call from the campaign, because they do not need much prodding to vote. But the infrequent voters have gotten as many as a half-dozen appeals.

The initial thrust was to get infrequent voters to cast absentee ballots or vote early, but the campaign now plans phone calls and canvassing to get people to the polls on Saturday. On the Neighbor Islands, the canvassing will likely be isolated in a few key high-density areas that traditionally favor Democrats. On O'ahu, the campaign hopes to personally reach as many as 18,000 infrequent voters.

"If we turn out our voters on Saturday, we'll win," said Andy Winer, Akaka's campaign manager.

Akaka's plan is being aided by the powerful labor unions that have endorsed him.

'NO VOTE, NO GRUMBLE'

The Hawai'i AFL-CIO, the Hawai'i Government Employees Association and the Hawai'i State Teachers Association have separate phone operations for Akaka among thousands of union members. The AFL-CIO and the HGEA are targeting union members in traditionally Democratic neighborhoods across the Islands, and also plan some canvassing.

Hawaiian activists, in a drive called "No Vote, No Grumble," have registered about 5,000 new voters and have encouraged many to vote early. The drive promotes voting, not for any one candidate, but higher turnout among Hawaiians could help Akaka, who is of Hawaiian and Chinese descent.

The leaders of several Hawaiian groups are scheduled to urge Hawaiians to vote for Akaka at a news conference at the senator's campaign headquarters today.

Case said the television buy for tomorrow night was not part of his original strategy but had been discussed over the past few weeks. The purchase cost the campaign about $8,850 for the air time and about $5,200 for KHON production help.

Reach Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com.