The Winner

If you live in Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District, Rep. Ed Case (D-HI) will keep representing you after winning a fifth straight term. The Associated Press called the race for Case at 8:21 p.m. Hawaii time on election night, Tuesday, Nov. 3. ​

Case has 126,022 votes (71.8%) to 40,235 (22.9%) for Republican Adriel Lam, a margin of about 49 points, with an estimated 99% of votes counted. Green Party candidate Jordan Conley took 6,977 votes (4.0%), and nonpartisan candidate Nathan Berning took 2,341 (1.3%). In 2024, Case beat Republican Patrick Largey by about 44 points, 71.8% to 28.2%.

The Race

Case’s toughest test came in the Aug. 8 Democratic primary, where he beat state Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole, a progressive challenger, 60.0% to 36.1%, according to Ballotpedia’s race page. Lam, a retired Army officer, ran unopposed for the Republican nomination after losing a 2024 bid for the U.S. Senate, Civil Beat reported. Cook Political Report and Inside Elections rated the race Solid Democratic, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball rated it Safe Democratic.

The district covers urban Honolulu on Oahu, Hawaii Public Radio reported. Case won the seat back in 2018, more than a decade after he first left Congress.

About 719,600 people live in the district, and nearly half of residents, 49.6%, are Asian. The median household income is $104,300, and the median age is 41. Of adults, 39.9% hold at least a bachelor’s degree, unemployment is 4.4% and 9% of residents live below the poverty line.

What’s Next

Case’s new term begins Sunday, Jan. 3, and he will serve in the new Democratic House majority. A member of the House Appropriations Committee, Case called bringing federal money back to the islands “a top priority,” according to Civil Beat’s election night coverage.

He also cautioned his party against overreaching with its new power. “We need to come up with actual solutions that are widely supported,” Case said.

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