When Republican state Rep. Richard Fale made the decision to run for the state Senate, his sights were set squarely on incumbent state Sen. Clayton Hee, based largely on the Democrat’s actions during the special session on gay marriage, an issue the freshman GOP representative felt should have been put to the people for a vote.

Colleen Meyer, who lost a close Senate race to Hee two years ago, also was planning another run at the Democrat, saying his actions as Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, which played an integral role in getting the same-sex marriage bill passed, do not represent the people of the 23rd District, a swath of Windward Oahu and the North Shore that stretches from Heeia to Laie and into Pupukea and Waialua.

But Hee has since declared for higher office, seeking the lieutenant governor’s post, and instead of a November battle against a Democrat, Fale and Meyer now find themselves in a showdown against each other in the August primary. The primary also includes Norman Kaaipohaku J. Brown.

Awaiting in the general is Gil Riviere, a former GOPHouse member who switched parties after losing to Fale in 2012. He is unopposed on his side of the ticket with name recognition in parts of the district.

Fale, 32, received a boost from last fall’s special session as one of the most vocal critics of the marriage legislation, and says the race will be a litmus test for the Republican Party.

"This race will tell you: Is the Republican Party forward looking or is it backward looking?"Fale said. "Is the Republican Party going to make the necessary changes to make sure that it’s a viable institution for the future of Hawaii? I believe I represent that, and I believe Colleen Meyer represents the past."

But Meyer, 75, a fiscal and social conservative, says it’s her experience that will carry her to November. Meyer represented portions of the district in her 14 years in the House.

"I have a lifetime of experience," she said. "He’s a 32-year old man who’s just getting through his first term, and his whole big deal was the same-sex marriage. I was 14 years in there. … There’s a lot to be said for experience, and that’s what I have, way more over Richard."

They share similar views on traditional families and same-sex marriage — issues that were expected to be dominant against Hee — but differ on other issues.

On land use, both support the preservation of good agricultural lands but also have expressed support for the Envision Laie project, a proposal to develop shops, churches and hundreds of homes in Koolauloa. Both agree the project would bring much-needed affordable housing and jobs to the area, but Fale’s support is more guarded, saying he would like the details to be more explicitly laid out and the developers to proceed very deliberately.

And while Fale supported a bill to label genetically modified organisms, Meyer has expressed concerns over forcing businesses to add any sort of label that could drive up prices.

Fale comes from an agricultural background — his father was a farmer — and grew up in Tonga before moving to Hawaii to attend Brigham Young University-Hawaii in Laie. He later enlisted in the Army Reserve and is a combat reservist and paralegal for the 442nd/ 100th Infantry Battalion.

A Mormon, he was an opponent of same-sex marriage and attracted large crowds to the Legislature during the special session, frequently citing their boisterous chants from the state Capitol courtyard as a signal to lawmakers to let voters decide the issue. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Neil Abercrombie.

Although his time in office has been brief, Fale cites as achievements the recent work of the Legislature accomplished under an unprecedented agreement with majority Democrats in the House that elevated Rep. Joe Souki (D, Waihee-Waiehu-Wailuku) to House speaker and resulted in three committee vice chairmanships for Republicans.

"With my candidacy you’re seeing new, innovative ideas — a willingness, and not only a willingness, but an active effort to go and find common ground with anybody who’s out there," Fale said. "I think that was witnessed in the coalition that was built in the House this past legislative session — led by the young Republicans in the party — that there’s an open-mindedness and a willingness to just put all the nonsense aside."

Two issues he feels have been dealt with in the past two years included calming of traffic on the North Shore and a bill to preserve 665 acres of Turtle Bay Resort from future development through an easement costing the state $40 million.

"Those were two accomplishments that we were able to move forward even though it was like pulling teeth — especially to get the governor to work with the House — but it did come about,"he said.

Meyer counters that the Turtle Bay bill resulted largely from the work of the Governor’s Office and the Trust for Public Lands.

Fourteen years in the House give her a better understanding of legislative maneuvering, said Meyer, an Oahu-born Catholic and graduate of Punahou School. As legislative accomplishments, she lists work to save Kahuku Hospital, her efforts at increasing the age of consent and her work on a bill to allow gas stations to carry ethanol-free gasoline as an alternative for smaller-engine vehicles.

Meyer also has worked as a real estate broker and property manager.

"I feel like I’m a well-rounded, mature person who’s raised a family, has grandchildren, has owned homes, paid taxes, owned businesses, paid salaries," Meyer said. "I have a well-rounded background."

Riviere’s big difference with the two main GOP contenders is on their support of Envision Laie.

"I think the land-use issues are important," he said. "I’m opposed to that urban sprawl. Isupport additional housing within Laie, but I don’t support the sprawl."