HONOLULU -- Candidates running to replace Neil Abercrombie in Hawaii's first Congressional district faced off in their first live broadcast debate Monday night.

The hour-and-a-half debate was held at Hawaii Public Radio in front of a live studio audience.

In her opening statement, State Senate President Colleen Hanabusa took a swipe at two of her opponents, former Congressman Ed Case and Honolulu Councilman Charles Djou. Both men tout their "independent" credentials and say she's being annointed by Senator Dan Inouye and Democratic party higher-ups.

Hanabusa said she has been an “independent voice” in her 11-year career in the State Senate. "You never work alone in a legislative body. You need the cooperation and respect of others to pass legislation,” Hanabusa said.

Djou said he would vote against the health reform proposal that could face a key vote in the U.S. House later this week. "The reason I will not vote in favor of it is because it's going to cost too much and it's not going to fix our problem in health care," he said.

Case responded by saying: "I ask Charles directly how are you going to cover the 30 million Americans (who don’t have health care) because I do not believe that a market-based reform system which is what you advocate is going to do that job."

Democrats Hanabusa and Case support the multi-billion dollar stimulus program. "That kept many people working. So to say the stimulus did not work is not true in Hawaii," Hanabusa said.

But Djou, a Republican, says the stimulus did not work, and he faulted both Republicans and Democrats for raising the budget deficit in recent years. "What the Bush administration did being wrong with half a trillion dollar budget deficit doesn't make it right now that the Obama administration and the majority congress is wanting a one-point-six trillion dollar budget deficit," he said, referring to the amount of money added to the federal deficit.

"You can't just say no all the time, you have to come up with a constructive alternative. What was the alternative to save this economy if the stimulus package had to been implemented?" asked Case.

Three other candidates participated in the debate: Republican Charles Amsterdam and Democrats Rafael Del Castillo and Philmund Lee.

The special election to fill the remainder of Neil Abercrombie’s term in Congress is set for May 22nd. Mail-in ballots could be sent out by the Office of Elections as early as next month.

Oahu’s 1st Congressional district runs from Hawaii Kai to Mililani Mauka, covering most of urban Honolulu.