An independent political news site hopes to serve as a hub for local campaign news and views. Hawaii Election Watch, launched this week, offers a public discussion forum, recorded interviews with candidates, candidate lists and links, and promises to track campaign news and offer "hard-hitting" political analyses. Likened to a "town hall," the site openly invites candidates to introduce themselves and discuss issues directly with voters "in a truly open, democratic forum." Interviews posted so far include sessions with Karen Knudsen (candidate for the Board of Education), Brian Schatz (candidate for the U.S. House), Randy Iwase (Democratic candidate for Governor), and Martin Rice (Kaua`i County Chair for the Democratic Party of Hawai`i). They can be individually downloaded or streamed from the site, or received automatically as a podcast.