Here's the question:

Do you vote for a candidate based on the friends they keep?

For the U.S. Senate, do you want someone backed by much of the Democratic establishment in the Senate (and in Hawai'i for that matter) most unions and other activist groups?

Or, would you prefer someone supported by the real estate industry, the national Chamber of Commerce, the local Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry and other business groups?

That may not be the only reason to decide your vote, but if these things matter, you have a clear choice.

Incumbent Sen. Dan Akaka is being ardently supported by most of the big-name Democrats in Hawai'i, as well as a considerable selection of Democratic headline-makers out of the U.S. Senate. He has strong backing from unions and from the liberal wing of the Hawai'i Democratic Party .

His challenger, U.S. Rep. Ed Case, has received enthusiastic support (and big money) from the national real estate industry and is the beneficiary of a major get-out-the-vote telephone campaign sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber's argument: Case would be better for the economic growth of the state of Hawai'i.

Prompted in part by the Akaka campaign, two local attorneys say they will ask the Federal Election Commission whether the Chamber's advocacy on Case's behalf violates election law.

Groups such as the Chamber are free to spend as much as they wish advocating public policy issues and ideas. But they are not supposed to push specifically for one candidate over another.

While the Chamber's telephone calls and special Hawai'i Web site do not directly urge people to vote for Case over Akaka, the presentation leaves no question where the Chamber stands. In addition, the Chamber has separately specifically endorsed Case.

(The local Chamber of Commerce remains neutral).

The challenge to the Chamber's efforts on Case's behalf could not have come as a worse time, as the election now is just three days away.

It comes on the heels of a couple of other awkward moments for Case encouraged, if not actively created, by the Akaka campaign.

One involved a complaint from the Fire Department about a Case television advertisement that showed a firefighter in uniform among a group of people meeting and greeting with Case. That technically violates department policy against uniformed personnel participating in partisan activities.

Case said the complaint was nothing more than "machine" hardball politics, but he did remove the image of the firefighter from the ad. The Hawai'i Firefighters Association has endorsed Akaka.

Earlier, Case was nicked when he circulated an e-mail citing former Gov. George Ariyoshi's comments (made in 1972) about the importance of change and bringing new blood into the Democratic Party. That's an important theme in the current Case campaign, but Ariyoshi (an Akaka backer) took offense and — with the Akaka camp's enthusiastic support — held a news conference to say the remarks were used out of context.

Well, they weren't taken out of context. But Ariyoshi says his point back then was that it is important for the Democratic Party to bring new and younger faces into the fold, utilize their talents and ideas and continue to strengthen the base.

He was not suggesting, Ariyoshi said, that it makes sense to replace veteran Democrats with newcomers, and he said he would have been happy to clarify that for Case had he only called.

It seems fairly clear that the U.S. Chamber's efforts were done without Case's approval or involvement. Certainly it was more of an arm's length effort than the work the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee did on Akaka's behalf.

The inclusion of the firefighter in an ad would seem to be a minor slipup at best.

And the citation from Ariyoshi was legitimate, although some of Case's opponents believe it came across as smart-alecky needling.

Added together, however, these incidents left several potholes in what was supposed to be a smooth road to Election Day for the Case team.

Even Case's closest supporters admit he is a man who listens to his own counsel and makes his own decisions. He is not a candidate who relies on professional handlers and dispassionate political consultants.

So the question is:

Could these incidents have been better "handled" if Case were more willing to let others take care of the daily political rough-and-tumble of a campaign?

The Case campaign will find out on Saturday.

Reach Jerry Burris at jburris@honoluluadvertiser.com.