National Democrats are setting traps for former Gov. Linda Lingle as she considers a campaign for the U.S. Senate, depicting the Republican as a "partisan bomb-thrower" whose poor judgment led to teacher furloughs that closed public schools.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is building a narrative to contrast Lingle’s description of herself as an experienced former governor who would take a bipartisan approach in the Senate. The early portrayal is much more negative than the assessment many local Democrats have had of her eight years in office.

Matt Canter, a DSCC spokesman, said Thursday that national Democrats intend to emphasize what he describes as her "hyper-partisan" politics and her disappointing record as governor.

"Not only was Lingle hyper-partisan, nominating Sarah Palin for vice president and accusing President Obama of palling around with terrorists, she was also a huge disappointment as governor. Lingle’s decision to gut classroom time for thousands of Hawaii students drew an intense backlash from parents and teachers and was even singled out by the Obama administration as one of the worst decisions in the nation," Canter said in a statement.

"Now, Linda Lingle is trying to hide her disappointing record as governor as she prepares for a U.S. Senate run. The fact is Linda Lingle tried to balance the budget on the backs of Hawaii students, and Hawaii residents will be sure to repay the favor and furlough Linda Lingle if she runs for Senate next year."

U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and former Congressman Ed Case are the Democratic contenders to replace U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, who is not seeking another term in 2012.

Case has already undermined the depiction of Lingle as a partisan bomb-thrower by publicly agreeing with her that a bipartisan approach is necessary in Washington, D.C.

Republicans said Thursday that the national Democrats’ portrayal of Lingle could backfire with voters.

Linda Smith, Lingle’s former senior policy adviser, described the former governor as a "practical moderate who has focused on bipartisan initiatives."

"There is no place in Hawaii for these deplorable tactics by national partisan political staffers. The voters of Hawaii deserve better," Smith said in a statement.

Jonah Kaauwai, state GOP chairman, noted that the DSCC criticized Case this week for releasing a private poll that showed both Case and Lingle ahead of Hirono.

"It is disappointing that the DSCC’s candidate of choice, Mazie Hirono, is so weak, flawed, and uninspiring that they are already spending their time negatively attacking candidates from their own party and others who are not even in the race," Kaauwai said in an email. "It is too bad they are so self-conscious about their own candidate and have nothing positive to say about her."

Lingle — Hawaii’s first Republican governor in four decades — campaigned and governed mostly as a moderate in state politics, appealing to independents and moderate Democrats as a check on the power of majority Democrats.

But Lingle also campaigned on the mainland for President George W. Bush in 2004 and served as a surrogate for Palin in 2008. She questioned Obama’s local ties and said most people in Hawaii had never heard of him before he ran for president.

Lingle’s job approval ratings fell at the end of her two terms after budget cuts and state worker furloughs and layoffs during the recession. She second-guessed her decision to sign off on a teacher furlough plan that became a national embarrassment, but she said it was the state Department of Education and the Hawaii State Teachers Association that chose to take furloughs on classroom instruction days.

"In several cases the shoe fits," Dante Carpenter, chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, said of the national Democrats’ depiction of Lingle. "Obviously, this is politics, and she’s trying to play all ends against the middle for her anticipated run."

But Carpenter said he is concerned about the DSCC’s criticism of Case. He was similarly unhappy last year when the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which helps elect Democrats to the House, appeared to favor Case over fellow Democrat Colleen Hanabusa in a special election for Congress.

"So frankly, I think they ought to back off criticizing any Democrat," he said. "If they want to make a case against Lingle, fine. That’s their job."