Three-quarters of Hawaii's congressional delegation headed to re-election as U.S. Sen. Mazie K. Hirono and Reps. Jill Tokuda and Ed Case held an insurmountable lead over their opponents in the first vote count released by state election officials this morning.

U.S. senators serve six-year terms, while members of the House of Representatives run for re-election every two years. Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz, also a Democrat, is not running this year.

Hawaii's congressional delegation must fight with the White House, the U.S. Senate and possibly the Republican-controlled House of Representatives for federal funding for Hawaii.

Hirono was elected to the Senate in 2012 following the resignation of Senator Daniel K. Akaka and was re-elected in 2018. Hirono, an attorney and former lieutenant governor, previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives after his victory, representing Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District seat in 2006.

Her opponents in this round were former Republican Rep. Bob McDermott and Green Party candidate Emma Pohlman.

“I am honored by the support of the Hawaiian people and the trust they have placed in me to continue to serve in the United States Senate and represent our great state. “Hawaii is a special state in many ways,” said Hirono the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “It is the state that welcomed my family and gave us the opportunity to live a better life. I am grateful for this honor and promise to never stop fighting for the people of Hawaii and the values ​​we hold dear – diversity, respect and the spirit of aloha.”

Tokuda, who represents the 2nd Congressional District, which includes the Neighbor Islands and Windward Oahu, was first elected in 2022 after serving in the state Senate.

She told the Star-Advertiser that the “actions and words” during the election cycle represented a “stain on the hopes our founding fathers had for this nation” and urged everyone to do better.

“This general election will be the most consequential of our lifetimes and a historic opportunity for voters in Hawaii and across the country to decide the fate of our democracy.” And while all eyes are on November 5th, what’s even more important is how “We come together the day after and begin to heal and move forward,” Tokuda said.

She defeated Republican Steve Bond and Libertarian Aaron Toman.

Case, currently in his fifth full term, was first elected to Congress in special elections in November 2002 and January 2003, succeeding Patsy Mink.

He was re-elected to a second full term in 2004 and served in Congress until he unsuccessfully challenged Akaka in the 2006 U.S. Senate primary. Case returned to his private law practice before winning the 1st Congressional District seat in 2018.

He easily won re-election in 2020 and 2022. This time his Republican opponent was Patrick C. Largey.

Case told the Star-Advertiser that regardless of who wins the presidential race, “we know some things.”

“We know we will wake up to a divided, polarized country and we must expect our leaders and ourselves to find a better way,” Case said. “We know that we are all becoming citizens of a truly great country that the rest of the world admires and respects and expects us to lead, and we must do that.” We can and must do all of that; It’s not a choice.”