Ex-congressman wins Hawaii Democratic primary for US House

HONOLULU, Hawaii – In this age of political rancour, Ed Case wants to bring bipartisanship back to Washington, D.C.

“I think voters want Washington to work again, that’s the number one issue. Clearly that was my message and I think that accounts for much of the result of my race,” Case said after he won the Democratic primary Saturday for the congressional seat representing Honolulu.

Case is likely headed back to Washington in this heavily Democratic state. He served a decade ago in Washington, before the current partisanship took hold.

Case said his message that politicians in Washington need to work together resonated with voters.

The 65-year-old fiscal conservative defeated five other major candidates including Lt. Gov. Doug Chin, who was the architect of Hawaii’s legal battle against President Donald Trump’s travel ban.

Case served in Congress from 2002 to 2007, giving him an edge in experience and name recognition. He ran unsuccessfully for the Senate and House in the years since he left Congress, then retired from politics five years ago to become an executive for a Hawaii-based hotel chain.

Case said he returned to politics because the government wasn’t functioning and he believes he can help.

He will face Cam Cavasso, a former state representative who previously ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate, in the general election. Cavasso won the GOP primary Saturday night.

Case will have an enormous advantage in the general election, given the Democratic Party dominates politics in Hawaii.

Case said it’s humbling to know that he gained the trust and confidence of so many voters. He expressed admiration for his opponents in the primary, adding he would reach out to those who didn’t vote for him and ask for their support in the general election.

Other contenders were 29-year-old Kaniela Ing, a democratic socialist who hoped to follow in the footsteps of colleague Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York to score an upset victory.

The candidates spanned the political spectrum of Hawaii’s Democratic Party.

Case represented the conservative end, expressing concern about the federal debt and deficits. He was a member of the Blue Dog Democrat caucus during his last stint in Congress.

Ing stood for the progressive wing. Ing and fellow candidate Beth Fukumoto, a 35-year-old former Republican and outspoken Trump critic, frequently spoke about the punishingly high cost of living in the islands and the need for reforms to help young people afford to stay in the state.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 47 per cent of Hawaii’s residents spend more than a third of their monthly income on rent. That’s greater than any other state. About one-quarter of renters put half of their income toward housing.

Chin also focused on the cost of living, saying he would aim to secure federal dollars for affordable housing, make public colleges and universities more affordable and address climate change.

Despite his loss, Chin said he has more hope now than he did last year.

“A lot of it is because of the campaign experience and meeting so many people who don’t want to take the country for granted and want to make the country a better place,” he said.

The race attracted so many candidates because the incumbent, U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa decided to challenge Gov. David Ige in the gubernatorial primary instead of run for re-election. She lost to Ige.

Sonia Lee-Gushi, who works in the health care industry and lives in Honolulu, said she thought Case deserved a second chance in Washington.

She also disagreed with the candidates who focused on how they would oppose Trump.

“I feel like they’re just trying to get the vote of those who don’t like Trump, which is not necessarily how we want to choose our leaders going forward,” she said.

The winner of the general election will join a four-person Congressional delegation in Washington, D.C.

In Hawaii’s other congressional district, U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a Democrat, easily won the Democratic Party’s nomination to represent rural Oahu and the neighbouring islands. One of her challengers, Sherry Alu Campagna, criticized Gabbard for refusing to participate in debates even though she’s argued in the past that candidates should debate to present their positions and be held accountable for their opinions.

She’ll face Brian Evans, who ran unopposed in the Republican primary.