Welcome to a special edition of At the Races! Throughout the 2026 primary season, watch for these updates from the CQ Roll Call campaign team on what you need to know for Election Day. Know someone who’d like to get this newsletter? They can subscribe here. By Daniela Altimari and Mary Ellen McIntire Saturday’s Democratic primary in Hawaii’s 1st District will provide another test of the power of incumbency against the thirst for change gripping the party’s grassroots. Already, six House Democrats have lost primary challenges in deep-blue districts this year. Hawaii state Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole is aiming to make Rep. Ed Case the seventh. A centrist who’s spent more than a decade in the House across two separate stints, Case has emphasized his experience, arguing that his seniority has benefited residents of his Honolulu-based district. “Seniority, experience and relationships in Congress are critical,’’ Case, 73, who serves on the Appropriations Committee, declared in a recent straight-to-camera video. “Otherwise we just get lost, chewed up and spit out. We can’t afford that.” Keohokalole, 43, has positioned himself as a change agent who would usher in “a new generation of leadership.” He has the backing of Our Revolution, the progressive group founded by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. He has accused Case of failing to aggressively fight against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and criticized him for crossing party lines to back a version of a bill that would have toughened voter identification rules. “The solutions we’ve been getting from Ed Case are not good enough,’’ Keohokalole said in a campaign spot. “The urgency we deserve is missing.” Complicating Keohokalole’s task, though, is the presence of three other candidates on the Democratic ballot, potentially splitting the anti-incumbent vote. They include registered nurse Jennifer Booker, Army veteran Ben Fatula and former patent examiner Nick Kiswanto. The winner of the Democratic primary will be heavily favored to win the deep-blue seat in November. Photo finish Hawaii Rep. Ed Case was first elected to Congress in a 2002 special election for the neighboring 2nd District. He is seen here in January 2003 leading his family through a crowd of members on the House floor. (Scott J. Ferrell/CQ Roll Call)
