Within a matter of hours of each other on Tuesday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and former Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawaii) went up with new TV ads in the Aloha State’s 1st district special election.

This is the first TV spot funded by the DCCC’s Independent Expenditure arm in a race that features two competitive Democrats — Case and state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa — as well as Honolulu City Councilman Charles Djou (R) in the free-for-all, vote-by-mail election on May 22.

The DCCC’s spot is an obvious negative shot at Djou, but it should be noted that the committee is inclined to endorse Case in the race — going against the endorsements of the state’s two Senators, organized labor and EMILY’s List, all of whom are backing Hanabusa. According to a DCCC spokeswoman, the committee’s political director, Robby Mook, will run the IE for this special election.

Case, meanwhile, is making a distinct switch in advertising strategy from his previous spots. In the last couple of weeks, he’s brought on a top-notch team from the mainland including a new media consultant.