Ron Menor has been in the public eye a lot this past year, which makes him one of the more recognizable of the 12 candidates running for the U.S. House seat in the 2nd Congressional District.

As a state senator, Menor, 50, was the chief architect and major proponent of Hawai'i's controversial gasoline price cap law, which took effect last September only to be suspended in May amid concerns the caps caused high pump prices. Just how Menor's role in such a high-profile, yet divisive issue will affect his standing with voters remains to be seen.

However, Menor, D-17th (Mililani, Waipi'o), said the cap issue likely will only help his cause. That's because Hawai'i's gas prices have barely budged since the caps were suspended.

"That demonstrates that high gas prices were not caused by the price cap but rather by the pricing practices of the oil companies to charge the highest possible prices to try and maximize their profits," Menor said. "I think that events that have transpired since the removal of the caps proves my point in that regard.

"If you look at the facts I believe that voters in the district will come to the realization that I took the right position in the Legislature."

At the same time Menor has worked on much more than just gasoline price caps. During his 22-year legislative career he has been a leader on issues such as affordable housing, insurance rates and prescription drug costs.

"Voters need to realize that my work on the gasoline issue is one of many issues that I've worked on on behalf of consumers," said the Hilo native, who's also an attorney.

Menor, who has a mild, soft-spoken style, has played a role in several major consumer-oriented bills to pass the Legislature in recent years, including the health insurance rate regulation act of 2003. He co-authored the bill that saved consumers and businesses an estimated $18 million. That program ended this year after the Legislature failed to agree on measures to extend the oversight.

Menor also helped push through auto insurance reforms passed in 1997 that rolled back premiums.

And in 2002 Menor was an architect of the Hawaii Rx Plus prescription drug reform law, aimed at making prescription drugs more affordable for residents who are uninsured or underinsured. Menor's stumping for the program impressed Alicia Maluafiti, a former director for advocacy at AARP Hawai'i.

"He was always accessible," she said, noting that Menor attended numerous community forums on the Neighbor Islands to discuss the merits of the Rx Plus program with seniors. "I think the issues of the aging population have to be a critical concern to any delegate to Congress. The seniors have got his ear."

Drew Astolfi, lead organizer for the nonprofit activist group Faith Action for Community Equity, or FACE, also worked with Menor on the Hawaii Rx program and on issues such as affordable housing.

"I feel he's particularly artful at finding the progressive place where people can agree," Astolfi said.

Menor, a graduate of Iolani, went on to get degrees from the University of California at Los Angeles and Georgetown University Law Center. He served in the House from 1982 to 1985 and the Senate from 1986 to 1990.

Menor returned to the House in 1992 after a failed bid for the 2nd Congressional District seat in 1990. In 2000 he was elected to the Senate, where he remains. It's a public service career inspired by Menor's late father, Benjamin Menor, a state senator and state Supreme Court justice.

"During my childhood he would emphasize to me the importance of public service and standing up for what you believe in" such as political and economic opportunity for Hawai'i's people, Menor said. "I've always been motivated by these values," added the husband and father of three children.

Menor is competing with nine other candidates for the Democratic nomination in the Sept. 23 primary. Two Republicans are competing for their party's nomination. The winners will advance to November's general election.

This second bid for Congress is driven by a desire to use his political experience to work on consumer and healthcare issues at the national level, Menor said.

If elected, Menor said, his priorities will include working to ensure Hawai'i gets its fair share of federal dollars for education, transportation and other infrastructure improvements.

Whether Menor makes it to Congress on the second try could come down to public sentiment on the gasoline caps. In general, consumer groups hailed the gasoline price regulations, which were simultaneously panned by economists and the oil industry.

The debate over whether to suspend the caps ultimately exposed differences within the Democratic Party, with the House in particular pushing to end the program. In one tense hearing, Menor and state Rep. Kirk Caldwell, D-24th (Manoa), who helped lead the charge against the law, faced off for about 40 minutes on the merits of the caps.

Despite their disagreements, Caldwell credited Menor for a sound defense of the caps.

"I think it was one of the high points of my four years in the Legislature," Caldwell said. "We had a good debate going back and forth. That is what the people who elected us want to see — a good discussion based on strong arguments."

Reach Sean Hao at shao@honoluluadvertiser.com.