Harris, who was unable to seek a third full term as Mayor due to term limits. His opponent was former City Council colleague Duke Bainum. The race was considered one of the fiercest and most expensive in the city's history, with both candidates sharply criticizing the other's stands and character. Bainum received the most votes in the September election, but failed to receive the necessary majority to avoid a run-off against Hannemann. In November, Hannemann narrowly won the election with a margin of about 1,300 votes out of nearly 300,000 cast. Hannemann was sworn in as mayor on January 2, 2005. In his first State of the City address, Hannemann pledged to concentrate on fiscal restraint and basic city services, claiming a contrast between himself and his predecessor. One of his major accomplishments as mayor was overseeing the planning for the Honolulu High-Capacity Transit Corridor Project, which will provide a rail transit system for Honolulu. The project eventually became a major issue when Hannemann came up for reelection in 2008, with his odds of success tied to public perception of it. He is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, an organization formed in 2006 and co-chaired by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston mayor Thomas Menino. He served as the Chair of the Tourism, Arts, Parks, Entertainment, and Sports Committee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Hannemann was longlisted for the 2008 World Mayor award. In 2009, Hannemann was sworn into his second term as mayor of Honolulu by Bode Uale. 2010s 2010 gubernatorial election On July 20, 2010, Hannemann resigned his position as mayor to compete in the 2010 Hawaii gubernatorial election. City Managing Director Kirk Caldwell assumed the position of interim mayor until a special election was held to determine a permanent replacement. On September 18, 2010 Hannemann lost the Democratic primary to Neil Abercrombie by approximately twenty-one percentage points. 2012 congressional election Hannemann announced his intention to run for Hawaii's 2nd Congressional district seat on August 30, 2011. The incumbent, Mazie Hirono, vacated the seat to run for the U.S. Senate seat then held by Daniel Akaka, who did not seek reelection in 2012. He lost the primary election to Tulsi Gabbard on August 11, 2012 by approximately twenty percentage points. 2014 gubernatorial election After considering a run for Republican nomination, Hannemann was an independent candidate for Governor, finishing third out of