The moderate Democratic representative Ed Case has seen off a progressive challenge to retain his party’s nomination for the US House of Representatives election in Hawaii’s first congressional district.

Case, who has represented the district in Washington DC since 2019, prevailed in Saturday’s primary over Jarrett Keohokalole, the state senator.

A wave of leftwing candidates has swept through a series of high-profile Democratic primaries in recent months, including Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan this week. Focus will turn next week to Wisconsin, where Democratic socialist Francesca Hong is leading the party’s chaotic gubernatorial primary.

Keohokalole, 43, had argued during the campaign in Hawaii that the time had come for a new generation of political leadership in the state.

With 91% of votes counted, Case had won 60% of the vote, according to the Associated Press. Keohokalole, in second place, had 36.1%.

“I feel very grateful that the voters want me to continue in office,” Case, 73, told Hawaii Public Radio on Saturday. He will now face Adriel Lam, the Republican who ran unopposed in the party’s primary, in the general election.

“The voters decided, and we respect the results,” Keohokalole told KHON2. “The seats don’t belong to any individual. You have to earn them, and so the voters spoke.”

Case had faced criticism from Democrats including Keohokalole after voting last year for Donald Trump’s Save Act, which would require US voters to prove their citizenship when registering for federal elections.

More recently, Case stressed that he no longer supported the legislation, after an option for voters to attest in writing that they are a citizen was removed. But he used his former vote as an example of his independence.

“I’m not 100% voter with my party,” Case told HawaiiNewsNow. “Never have been, never will be.”

Case holds a senior position on a ​key spending committee and had argued that Hawaii would attract fewer federal dollars if he was not re-elected.

Keohokalole highlighted Case’s campaign donations from businesses to argue he has lost touch with voters.

Hawaii is divided into two US congressional districts. The first, represented by Case, covers the urban center of Honolulu. The second, represented by Jill Tokuda, covers the rest of the state.

Tokuda also won the Democratic primary for the second congressional district. According to AP, with 90% of votes counted, she had won 91.6%.

Josh Green, the Hawaii governor who has led the state since 2022, also defeated several challengers for the Democratic nomination.

Reuters contributed reporting

UPDATE: 2:30 p.m.

Voters today continued to deposit their ballots at curb-side drop-off locations outside Honolulu Hale and Kapolei Hale, Honolulu Election Administrator Rex Quidilla said.

The curb-side service has proven to be far more popular than drop-off boxes near the entrances to both city halls that require drivers to park and walk, he said.

But voters also continued to walk into Honolulu Hale to vote in person, like long-time Republican voters Frank Terlep, 82, of Kalihi and his friend, Kenneth Wong, 75, also of Kalihi.

Terlep wore a white and silver “Make America Great Again” ball cap with an American flag pinned to it.

The friends always vote Republican and in person on Election Day because “I’ve got to make sure my vote is counted,” Terlep said.

Jack Ho, a 21-year-old champion hydrofoil rider and standout surfer from Waikiki, said he showed up to vote in his first election today to see the process for himself and, hopefully, inspire other young people to vote.

“I know you can just mail your ballot in,” Ho said. “But I feel like that’s no fun. I’ve never been here before, I’ve never seen this before. I’ve never been in a voting booth. I wanted to get the real experience.”

Republican voter Donald Gau, 58, of Manoa, owns multiple businesses and has voted in every election since he was 18.

“I’m used to voting in person and I think everyone should vote in person,” he said. “I vote ever year, every election. It’s not a ‘do I want to?’ You have to. Everyone should. It’s the same reasons we go to war, we have to have to defend our Constitution, right?”

Nana Clemons, a 28-year-old, Democratic social worker, also voted in every election since she was 18 but was uncertain whether she would be able to vote this year “because of life and stuff.”

But she had a work event near Honolulu Hale that provided her the opportunity fill out her ballot in advance and simply put it in a drop box.

“I’m half Black and my ancestors didn’t fight for nothing, so I a have a morale and ancestral obligation to vote,” Clemons said.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE

Hawaii’s 2026 primary election ends today as last-minute voters drop off their ballots or vote in person to pick candidates for governor, Congress, lieutenant governor and a host of county and state offices.

The mostly mail-in election officially began on July 21 when voters received their ballots, but it is too late for voters to put their ballots in the mail today since they need to be received by elections officials by 7 p.m.

But ballots can be dropped off before 7 p.m. in ballot drop-boxes. The state’s complete list of drop-box locations can be found at elections.hawaii.gov.

Voters can also cast their ballots in person today. Anyone in line at the county polling locations at 7 p.m. will be allowed to vote. (See below for locations.)

Polls opened at 7 a.m. today in all four counties but just 113 voters had showed up at Honolulu Hale and Kapolei Hale by 9 a.m. to cast their ballots in person, said Honolulu Election Administrator Rex Quidilla.

“I wouldn’t have predicted the absence of lines this morning,” Quidilla said. “But there’s a lot more time left. If you come in (to vote in person), you’ll be in and out real quick.”

Voters were trickling in and out of Honolulu Hale but there was no line at 10 a.m. Other voters were also driving up to deposit their voted ballots.

Quidilla emphasized that ballots also must be deposited in the boxes by 7 p.m. in order to be counted.

The first round of vote-tally results will be released soon after the last person in line at 7 p.m. votes and all the polling locations close. The first results, which are expected to include the vast majority of votes cast before today, will be followed by a second tally after 10 p.m., and third tally on Sunday.

Once released by the state, the tallies will be posted at staradvertiser.com.

Open in-person polling locations, which include same-day voter registration and ballot drop-boxes, are:

Oahu

>> Honolulu Hale courtyard, 530 S. King St.

>> Kapolei Hale, 1000 Uluohia St.

Maui

>> Velma McWayne Santos Community Center, 395 Waena St., Wailuku.

>> Lahaina Civic Center, 1840 Honoapiilani Highway.

Lanai

>> County of Maui Old Youth Center, 717 Fraser Ave., Lanai City.

Molokai

>> Mitchell Pauole Center, 90 Ainoa St., Kaunakakai.)

Hawaii island

>> County of Hawaii Aupuni Center, 101 Pauahi St. No.1, Hilo.

>> West Hawaii Civic Center, 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Kailua-Kona.

Kauai

>> Historic County Annex Building, 4386 Rice St.

———

MORE 2026 HAWAII ELECTION COVERAGE:

Hawaii Election 2026: Candidates Q&A

Key races draw attention on Hawaii’s primary election day

Elections test rookie candidates’ use of social media

Tommy Waters dispute clouds East Honolulu Council race

This is a breaking news story will be updated throughout the day. For more coverage, visit https://www.staradvertiser.com/election.

Hawaii voters go to the polls on Saturday for primaries in the heavily Democratic state, with Rep. Ed Case facing a primary challenger in the 1st District. 

Case, 73, has represented the 1st District, which includes Honolulu and other parts of Oʻahu, since 2019, having previously represented the 2nd District, which includes more rural parts of Oʻahu and the other islands, from 2002 to 2007. 

He is facing state Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole, who represents Kāneʻohe and Kailua in the state Senate, on Saturday. Keohokalole, 42, told Hawaii Public Radio that he believes now is the time for change in the district, and pointed to Case’s vote for the SAVE America Act in the House.

Case told Hawaii Public Radio that seniority matters in the House, saying “the more you’re here, the more influence you have, the more relationships you have, the more know-how you have, the more experience you have to get things done — as I did in three crises in a row.”

Democratic incumbents in New York and Colorado in safe districts have been ousted so far this year by primary challengers. 

Republican Adriel Lam is running unopposed for the Republican nomination. 

Hawaii is heavily Democratic, so the winners in Saturday’s primaries are favored to win in November. 

Hawaii’s Democratic Gov. Josh Green is facing three challengers on Saturday, none of whom have reported raising or spending any money for the primary, according to Honolulu Civil Beat. Two Republicans are fighting for a place on the ballot in November.

In Hawaii’s 2nd District, Rep. Jill Tokuda is facing three unknown challengers, including one who was arrested in May for pulling a gun on county workers in Maui. Tokuda is expected to sail to victory. GOP state Sen. Brenton Awa, one of only three Republicans in the chamber, is running unopposed for the GOP nomination.