HONOLULU -- Honolulu Prosecutor Peter Carlisle is one of the most favorably viewed politicians on Oahu, according to a KITV4-Honolulu Star-Bulletin poll.

Because Oahu will not even have a campaign for mayor unless and until Mayor Mufi Hannemann decides to resign to run for governor, KITV's poll did not ask people whom they would vote for mayor. Instead it asked if they recognized certain politicians and what were their opinions about them.

The most striking finding, Carlisle, is seen favorably by 67 percent the voters with only 7 percent seeing him unfavorably.

"Wow! That's very encouraging. In fact, it's all the way to exciting," Carlisle said in response to the poll numbers.

University of Hawaii political science professor Neal Milner said the general public likes prosecutors because of their crime-fighting, good guy image. Carlisle has also kept himself in the public eye.

"He picks cases that he prosecutes that are highly visible cases," Milner said.

The second-highest favorable rating goes to Councilman Donovan Dela Cruz, who is surprisingly well known. Only 17 percent of the surveyed voters did not recognize him. Most who do have not reached an opinion on him, according to the survey.

"My time here at City Hall has not been focused on any type of self promotion. It's really been focused on city issues and how we can make the city better," Dela Cruz said.

Another mayoral candidate is the current mayor's right-hand man, Kirk Caldwell, whose problem is that 35 percent do not recognize him. Caldwell said that will change when Hannemann resigns as expected, leaving him as acting mayor.

"I think being the mayor does change that position, and your know, the good news is that I am doing the day-to-day business of learning how to run a city," Caldwell said.

The mayoral candidate with the biggest image problem though is Councilman Rod Tam. A whopping 40 percent of voters have unfavorable opinions. He did not respond to KITV's request for an interview.

The trick now for all the potential candidates is to turn those general opinions into votes. Even Carlisle said he knows warm feelings do not translate directly into votes.

"You have two options as a candidate: you run unopposed, or you run scared," Carlisle said.