HONOLULU -- More than a thousand Hawaii Democrats came together in Waikiki Saturday for their state convention.

Most of those in attendance said they support Sen. Barack Obama.

Keynote speaker Rep. Neil Abercrombie urged Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Obama supporters to respect each other.

Party officials said the hope of the convention was to bring all Democrats together so that the long, sometimes bitter campaign does not tear the party apart.

Obama supporters paraded into the Coral Ballroom.

To keep party peace, they said this would be their one big crowd event at the convention.

"I think it is a chance for Hawaii to show how proud it is of Barack," Obama campaign coordinator Andy Winer said.

Clinton supporters, who were outnumbered, passed out candy and tried to keep Clinton's name visible in the sea of Obama.

"We still support her all the way to the end," Bev Gotelli said.

Bringing the Obama and Clinton supporters together was a party concern.

"We are not spending time bridging differences, and that scared the bejesus out of me," Oahu Party Chairwoman Annelle Amaral said.

Maya Soetoro-Ng, Obama's half-sister, introduced Abercrombie.

"I have to say (that) I have watched him dance and shout and preach on behalf of my brother," Soetoro-Ng said.

Abercrombie rallied for Obama, but he also urged for the party to unite.

"Let's let this play out. We are going to be unified when this is over," Abercrombie said. "We need to be respectful of one another."

Some of Obama's Punahou School classmates were some of the new Democrats at the convention.

Classmate Robyn Tanaka said she was uncertain about helping the Democrats in the future.

"I think most of us are doing this because of Barack -- not because of the party," Tanaka said.

But Obama's class of '79 friend Kellie Furushima said she'd be there to help Democrats running for governor in 2010.

"I have signed on to become involved, and (I'm) making a lot of contacts here," Furushima said.

The party said it hopes that spirit is contagious.

Hawaii Democrats Saturday were already ruminating about the next governor's race, even though it's two and half years away.

They said they'd like to bottle up some of the local Obama enthusiasm to help them take the governor's seat back.