HONOLULU -- James "Duke" Aiona owes the most personal debt of the three leading candidates for governor and Mufi Hannemann has the least debt, according to financial interest disclosures filed with the State Ethics Commission.

Neil Abercrombie, a Democrat, was the highest paid of the three gubernatorial candidates last year. His annual congressional salary amounted to $167,000 until he stepped down from Congress at the end of February.

Abercrombie’s campaign said he also accepted $25,000 in state retirement benefits earned from more than 12 years serving in the legislature, the city council and working at the state Department of Education.

A Republican, Aiona earned the next highest amount of money last year, $135,000 as lieutenant governor. At the same time, he collected retirement from the state worth at least $25,000, a pension earned while serving as a state judge for over a decade.

Hannemann, a Democrat, took home the smallest annual income of the three: $135,000 as mayor of Honolulu.

But Hannemann was the only leading gubernatorial candidate to report significant business interests. According to his disclosure form, Hannemann has investments in four companies worth between $46,000 and $110,000.

Hannemann’s interests include investments in two ship hull development companies, Navatek Research and LB Ventures; the former Wailuku Sugar Plantation on Maui, now called Wailuku Water Company and the stevedore operation of Brewer Environmental Industries.

The state ethics commission does not require candidates to file precise amounts of their income, business interests or creditor information. They're allowed to list the ranges of those dollar figures, so the candidates only have to disclose the lowest to highest amounts in each category without the public knowing the exact number.

Candidates list amounts with a letter code for each range. For instance, the letter D represents “at least $25,000 but less than $50,000.” And the letter E indicates a value of between $50,000 and $100,000.

Aiona owes the most personal debt of the leading gubernatorial candidates. His disclosure forms said he owes anywhere from $620,000 to $1 million to seven creditors, including Bank of America, the U.S. Department of Education and Sallie Mae.

An Aiona campaign spokesman did not return phone calls late Wednesday afternoon to answer questions about his creditors.

Aiona has four children who attended private schools in Hawaii and colleges on the mainland, costing lots of money for tuition and travel, explaining some of his personal debt. Abercrombie and Hannemann have no children.

Abercrombie has the next highest debt, ranging from $300,000 to $600,000 owed to four creditors, which include First Hawaiian Bank and US Federal Credit Union.

Hannemann owes the least money, anywhere from $150,000 to $250,000, to one creditor, the Bank of Hawaii.

Aiona owns a house in Kapolei but he also listed an apartment on Ala Lilikoi St. in Salt Lake on his disclosure form worth between $150,000 and $250,000.

Abercrombie owns a house in Manoa and his disclosure statement also listed a townhouse worth between $250,000 and $500,000 in Washington D.C, where he served in Congress for 20 years.

Hannemann owns a home in Aiea and listed no other properties on his disclosure form.

Abercrombie and Hannemann oppose each other in the Democratic gubernatorial primary election Sept. 18.

Aiona faces attorney John Carroll in the Republican primary race for governor. Carroll's disclosure form said his law office paid him between $1,000 and $10,000 last year.