Aloha!

I’m U.S. Congressman Ed Case, asking for your kōkua to continue my service to our Hawai'i and country in our U.S. House of Representatives.

People want to know who the person is behind the politics. Here's where I'm from and who I am.

Roots. I was born and raised in Hilo, the fourth generation of my family in Hawaiʻi. My great-grandparents came from Kansas in 1896 and lived on Maui, where he was a lawyer and judge. My grandparents lived on Kauaʻi, where he worked in sugar and she was a teacher.

My father, Jim, served in the Navy in World War II, married my mother, Suzanne, from Missouri, and came home, where they raised seven children. My father was a lawyer; he worked in Hilo and then Honolulu until he was 92 and died at 102. My mother was active in many community efforts including election to the Hawaiʻi School Advisory Council. She later earned a Master's in Library Science from UH Mānoa and was a school librarian and administrator. We just celebrated her 97th birthday.

I grew up amidst all of the diversity and small town values of Hawaiʻi Island, attending Waiakea Kai and Keaukaha Elementary School in Hilo and graduating from Hawaiʻi Preparatory Academy in Waimea. My life was outdoors, especially in the ocean, and I swam competitively statewide for 11 years. So much of who I am comes from my upbringing, and I'll always be a proud FBI (From Big Island).

My family moved to Honolulu and I went on to Williams College in Massachusetts. In my time back home I worked wherever I could, including tire changer at a tire company (I can still whip it), construction as a mason's assistant, delivery at a rental company, and unpacking containers at Sand Island. In our free time my friends and I bodysurfed (our go-tos were Sandy's and Point Panic) and tried our best to stay out of trouble.

Public Service Beginnings.  After college, I was truly fortunate to get a job on Capitol Hill with my predecessor, U.S. Congressman/Senator Spark Matsunaga. Spark was a decorated veteran of the 100th/442nd Nisei soldiers of World War II who came home to forge post-war Hawaiʻi. Their story of perseverance in the face of adversity has always inspired me.

Public service called me from the start, and Spark was a great mentor in how he fulfilled his duties to the country, Hawaiʻi and constituents as a Member of Congress. In addition to fast-paced and challenging days, I would work late when the office was quiet just for an excuse to get him to tell stories. I spent almost three years as his Legislative Assistant in the House and Senate. So much of who I am as a public servant comes from that life-changing experience.

Private Sector Career. After that first D.C. chapter, I wanted to come home and contribute to a better Hawaiʻi. I graduated from law school at the University of California/Hastings in San Francisco and then worked for a year at the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court as a Law Clerk to legendary Chief Justice William Richardson. I practiced law in Honolulu for 26 years with two prominent firms, both of which I also managed, and worked for five years as a tourism executive with local company Outrigger Resorts in Waikīkī.

Elective Office. But public service was always there. I started at 32 on the Mānoa Neighborhood Board, which I chaired. The good people of Mānoa later sent me to the Hawaiʻi State House of Representatives for eight years, where I served in various roles, including Majority Leader. I was a bit of a rebel, challenging the status quo which I didn't think was working for our Hawaiʻi. That led me to run for Governor in 2002, which I lost by 1%.

Then the legendary Congresswoman Patsy Mink passed suddenly and I was elected to the Second District (all of Hawaiʻi except the city of Honolulu). I served four years in the U.S. House before running unsuccessfully for the Senate and coming home.

Twelve years later, in 2018, public service called back out still again and I was elected to the U.S. House from Hawaiʻi's First District (Honolulu from Makapuʻu to Mililani and Kapolei). I’m now in my 11th year representing Hawaiʻi in Congress, am close to the top 25% in all-important seniority, have a wide range of relationships with colleagues and others in D.C., and have been very fortunate to serve seven years now on our exclusive Appropriations Committee, which controls federal funding.

Family. Audrey Nakamura and I were classmates at Hawaiʻi Prep; we found each other later in life and have been married for almost 25 years now. She's sansei (third generation Japanese-American) whose father, was an Episcopal priest, was from Honolulu, and mother,  a nurse from Kona. She worked as a flight attendant for 40 years. We have four children (two on the continent, two here), two daughters-in-law, and three beautiful granddaughters, all in Honolulu.

We lead a pretty simple life aside from my job. We love hanging with each other and with our family, especially the moʻopuna. I love anything outdoors, especially walking, hiking and the ocean, reading, binge-watching especially sci-fi, and genealogy (my favorite escape).

Summing It Up. I've been fortunate in many ways, and believe everyone deserves the same opportunities. I feel like everything I've done has all come together, that every day I'm better at getting things done for our Hawaiʻi and our country. And I believe more strongly than ever in public service, and that with hard work, perseverance and mutual commitment, and with hope and belief, we can and will chart a better way forward together, as we must.

That's where I'm from. There's more at www.edcase.com/story.

Mahalo,