Last week, Sen. Brian Schatz sent a memo to national Democrat campaign supporters bluntly criticizing Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, his challenger, to make the case that he’s the best choice for Democrats to throw their political weight — and wallets — behind. That drew sparks from Hanabusa, who this week sent out her thoughts about Schatz in a mass email to campaign supporters. The increasing nastiness between candidates had cartoonist John Pritchett wondering if the campaign hasn’t become a little like kids who can’t get along on the playground.

About the author: John Pritchett is a longtime award-winning political cartoonist. He has been penning artwork in Hawaii for decades, including 20 years at the Honolulu Weekly. Find more of his work on the web at pritchettcartoons.com.

QUESTION: How much does the bickering between candidates affect your opinion of them? Or is it all just politics as usual?