Brian Schatz, the chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawai'i, announced yesterday that he is stepping down in early January.

Schatz has not publicly disclosed his future plans but he is widely expected to run for lieutenant governor.

Schatz would join a Democratic primary for lieutenant governor already crowded with state Senate Majority Leader Gary Hooser, state Sen. Robert Bunda, state Sen. Norman Sakamoto, state Rep. Lyla Berg and state Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu.

The party's state central committee is expected to name an interim chairman. Democrats will elect a permanent replacement for Schatz at the party's state convention next May.

"It has been an exciting and positive experience to be part of the local effort to elect Barack Obama president of the United States, to revitalize the Democratic Party and to watch as people's sense of ownership in their government grows," Schatz said in a statement. "At the same time, the last few years have been very tough economically and the challenges we face are huge. So this is just the beginning and there is no letting up as we rebuild our future."