Gov. Neil Abercrombie said Friday that he would not make an endorsement for Honolulu mayor and suggested the city’s $5.27 billion rail project might not be the deciding factor in the election.

Abercrombie, who supports rail, has been a friend and political ally of former Gov. Ben Cayetano since they served together in the state House and Senate in the 1970s and 1980s. Cayetano, who opposes rail, has said he would attempt to stop the project if voters choose him over Mayor Peter Carlisle and former Managing Director Kirk Caldwell.

"It may sound counterintuitive, but I really don’t think that’s going to be the issue that decides how people are going to vote," the governor said of the rail project.

Abercrombie said he has had a "deep and abiding friendship" with Cayetano for decades. He said, however, that he and Cayetano have disagreed on the approach to mass transit during much of that time.

"I honestly believe that this is going to be a leadership question," he said. "And that means he’ll obviously be a formidable candidate in that derby."

Cayetano and Caldwell are both Democrats, so the campaign will pose a dilemma for many in the majority party even though it is a nonpartisan election. Prominent Democrats who support rail would have preferred to avoid the clash.

While Abercrombie said he would not endorse, people close to him are choosing. "People in my campaign are already doing that anyway," he said. "There’s people with Ben and there’s people with Kirk Caldwell."

Cayetano said at his campaign announcement on Thursday that his friendship with Abercrombie would be an asset to the city if he becomes mayor. He said political tension, which is not unusual between a Honolulu mayor and a governor, would not be an issue because Cayetano does not want Abercrombie’s job.

Abercrombie described Cayetano as a consummate politician. "My bottom line on this is very simple," the governor said. "It’s not about friendship; it’s about leadership."

Dante Carpenter, chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, was a close ally of Cayetano’s and Abercrombie’s when they served together in the Senate. Carpenter, also a former Hawaii County mayor, said he advised Cayetano not to be a one-issue candidate.

"I guarantee you, having been a mayor, I know damn well it’s not a one-issue kind of operation," he said. "You have a million things all going at the same time."