Democratic US Rep. Ed Case announced today his campaign for re-election to Hawaiʻi’s 1st Congressional District, which serves residents of urban Oʻahu. If re-elected in 2026, the next two-year term would be fifth consecutive term since being elected to his current seat in 2018.

“Our country and world face immense challenges that demand strong, smart leadership to defend our democracy and deliver real solutions,” Case said in an announcement of his candidacy. “Our Hawaiʻi especially needs experienced representation on Capitol Hill that knows how to get things done for us in Washington, D.C. Over my decade now of serving Hawaiʻi in Congress, I’ve worked hard to deliver that leadership. If re-elected, I will move to around the top 25 percent of House seniority, continue into my ninth and tenth years on the powerful Appropriations Committee, and further expand my relationships and influence for our country and Hawaiʻi. And I’ll keep doing what I’ve always done: speak honestly, listen carefully, represent all of Hawaiʻi, and fight for real solutions, just as I did through COVID-19, Red Hill and the Maui wildfires.”

Case has represented Hawaiʻi’s First District (Honolulu from Makapu‘u to Mililani and Kapolei) since 2019. He was first elected to Congress in November 2002 representing Hawaiʻi’s Second District (the rest of Oʻahu and all other islands) for part of a term, and served two more full terms representing the Second District before leaving Congress in 2007 and returning in 2019. He is currently ranked in the top 29 percent of US House seniority.

If re-elected, Case will serve a fifth two-year term on the powerful US House Committee on Appropriations, responsible for overseeing and funding the federal government. He currently serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, which is responsible for all defense and intelligence funding, and the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, which is responsible for various departments charged with securing the homeland along with the U.S. Coast Guard. 

Among Case’s many Congressional caucuses, he serves as founder and co-chair of the Congressional Pacific Islands Caucus focusing on U.S. policy throughout the Pacific, Vice Chair of the bipartisan House Problem Solvers Caucus focusing on forging consensus solutions to our challenges, and Executive Board member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus focusing on Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.

Prior to his service in Congress, Case served eight years in the Hawaiʻi State House of Representatives including as Majority Leader representing Mānoa-University-Wilder. Case, a lawyer by profession, practiced law in Honolulu and served as an executive with Outrigger Hotels and Resorts for three decades.

Case, born and raised in Hilo, is married to the former Audrey Nakamura. They have four children, two daughters-in-law and three granddaughters.