Hawaii congressman defeats anti-Israel progressive upstart in Democratic primary

US Congressman Ed Case, a Democrat from Hawaii with a pro-Israel voting record, defeated a progressive primary challenger on Saturday in a race that drew special attention after a string of wins by anti-Israel leftists in primary races elsewhere in the country.

The 73-year-old moderate led his opponent, State Senator Jarett Keohokalole, by more than twenty points when the Associated Press called the race, at 60-36, with 80 percent of the vote counted.

Keohokalole conceded the race, calling his opponent “a good guy.”

“We ran because we had policy differences and we ran because we felt that the moment called for more,” he said, according to the Honolulu Civil Beat, which noted a low turnout of some 29%.

The state senator, 43, called in his campaign for expanded government healthcare and ending military aid to Israel, an issue that has played a prominent role in Democratic primary campaigns this year, with anti-Israel candidates winning races in Michigan, New York and Colorado this year.

Case, who was elected to his seat in 2018, has a pro-Israel legislative record, having voted against a proposed ban on $3 billion in security aid to Israel just last month, while also criticizing Israel’s military response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught. Keohokalole has said he would have voted for the ban.

“I definitely did disagree with Israel’s response to the attack on Israel — the severity, the disproportionality, the incredible tragedy of so many civilian deaths,” Hawaii News Now quoted Case as saying. “I am a straight-up opponent of the current leadership of Israel.”

Keohokalole was more categorical, however, saying “I don’t think we should give any more money for Israel to wage war.” The challenger also took issue with Case for not taking a harsher stance against the war in Iran, which the US launched together with Israel at the end of February.

“I haven’t read or heard Ed Case say, ‘I opposed the war in Iran and we need to stop the fighting now,’” Keohokalole said. “I haven’t heard him say, ‘Not one more taxpayer dollar’ toward extending this conflict. It needs to end now.”

Apart from foreign policy, Keohokalole criticized Case for voting in favor of a Trump-endorsed bill requiring proof of citizenship to vote, though the incumbent withdrew his support after Republicans removed the option to sign an affidavit rather than show documents.

Case, however, argued that his role on the House Appropriations Committee gave his district outsize influence, which would be lost if they elected the progressive challenger.

Unlike candidates in other states, Case — one of the most fiscally conservative Democrats in the House — benefited from an open primary, meaning he could draw support from independent and Republican voters as well as fellow democrats.

He is expected to be re-elected in November, as his district, Hawaii’s 1st of two, leans heavily Democratic.