Former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, hoping voters have grown weary of both Democrats and Republicans, will run for governor as an independent.

Hannemann is calculating that he could take Washington Place in November with a plurality if the major party candidates split the vote. His choice to run under the newly formed Hawaii Independent Party banner is both political and pragmatic after punishing losses to Gov. Neil Abercrombie in the Democratic primary for governor in 2010 and U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard in the Democratic primary for Congress in 2012.

"I think clearly people are not happy with the way both major parties sometimes push folks to accept party platforms — or the rigidity of party platforms — either having to appeal to the far left or the far right," Hannemann, 59, said in an interview Wednesday. "I’ve always been a moderate. I’ve always been a centrist. I’ve always been independent.

"And I’ve always done better in general elections where more people vote and I’m able to appeal to people across the spectrum."

Hannemann said he thinks his centrist brand will attract voters who consider themselves independents, as well as Democrats and Republicans who are disappointed with Abercrombie’s stewardship over the past four years. Abercrombie, whose job approval ratings in the Hawaii Poll have not broken 50 percent since May 2011, has drawn a primary challenger in state Sen. David Ige.

Former Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona, who lost to Abercrombie in 2010, has launched another Republican campaign but has been slow to organize.

Hannemann described his independent campaign as a "pragmatic way of getting to the general election," adding, "To go into the Democratic primary, to go into the Republican primary, is like trying to play the Seahawks at home or the 49ers at home," he said, using a football analogy. "If I go to a neutral site, I’m better able to tell my story and clearly convince more people to vote for us."

But Hannemann, who will campaign on his chief executive experience, will be at a fundraising and organizational disadvantage and will have to fight claims that he is a political opportunist. While Hannemann won two nonpartisan elections for Honolulu mayor, he was frustrated in Democratic primaries and privately flirted with switching parties and running for governor as a Republican this year.

"He looks like he’s shopping around for a home, and that can be a problem," said Jerry Burris, a former political columnist and editorial page editor for the Honolulu Advertiser. "It’s logical for him to do so, but, still, people will say he’s shopping for a place to land."

Hannemann will also have to repair some of the political damage from his two recent defeats, losses that were striking given that he was widely thought to be a contender in both campaigns.

"People remember that he lost twice pretty badly when he wasn’t expected to," Burris said.

Others privately question whether Hannemann has the kind of larger-than-life persona or political base that can inspire an independent movement. The closest any Hawaii politician since statehood has come to creating such an insurgency was the late Frank Fasi, the popular former Honolulu mayor who finished second to Ben Cayetano, a Democrat, in the governor’s race in 1994.

Cayetano won with 36 percent of the vote. Fasi — who, like Hannemann, had previously struggled in Democratic primaries — took 30 percent under his Best Party banner.

Thirty-nine percent of voters in a Hawaii Poll in February said they would consider voting for Hannemann as an independent.

The new Hawaii Independent Party, which unveiled an official logo this month and issued an open invitation for potential candidates, is aiming to be more than just a vehicle for Hannemann’s ambition.

The party’s state executive committee is scheduled to meet Saturday on Oahu to review a handful of prospects. The party will not have a state convention, but is planning a general membership meeting before the August primary.

The independents — at the very least — will have to recruit a lieutenant governor candidate to pair with Hannemann on the ticket. Fasi had Danny Kaleikini, the entertainer fondly known as the "Ambassador of Aloha," as his Best Party running mate 20 years ago.

"Right now our focus is building awareness, membership in our party, and recruitment of candidates," said Michelle Del Rosario, the party’s chairwoman.

CORRECTION: Former Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona lost to Gov. Neil Abercrombie in 2010. An earlier version of this article and a story on page B1 in Thursday’s paper said the year was 2012.