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Will Perseverance Pay Off for Perennial Hawaiian Pols?

Case might run for Congress again. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)
Case might run for Congress again. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

In Hawaii politics, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. And again. And again.

Or, at least that’s how many candidates in the state have operated over the past few cycles.

In Thursday’s Farm Team column, Roll Call reports that former Hawaii Reps. Ed Case, a Democrat, and Charles K. Djou, a Republican, may be looking to come back to Congress this cycle in the Aloha State’s 1
st
 District.

The seat is being vacated by Democratic Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, who is challenging appointed Sen. Brian Schatz in the primary in 2014.

Case represented Hawaii’s 2
nd
 District until he ran an unsuccessful Democratic primary challenge to former Sen. Daniel K. Akaka in 2006. Since then, he’s made two unsuccessful attempts to rejoin the congressional delegation: a bid for the 1st District in a 2010 special election, and a loss to now-Sen. Mazie K. Hirono in last cycle’s open Senate race following Akaka’s retirement.

Djou was first elected to Congress in a 2010 special election to replace now-Gov. Neil Abercrombie. He lost later that year to Hanabusa in a general election, and failed again at unseating Hanabusa in a 2012 rematch.

Neither Case nor Djou have officially announced a bid for the 1st District race, but both were mentioned by multiple consultants in the state as potential candidates in 2014.

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