Case’s and Gabbard’s
paths crossed in ’96

Mike Gabbard got his first taste
of politics with the same-sex
marriage debate

The roots of the contentious fight for the 2nd Congressional District seat between Democratic incumbent Ed Case and Republican challenger Mike Gabbard traces back more than 10 years, to the state's same-sex marriage debate.

The 2nd Congressional District covers rural Oahu and the neighbor islands.

Gabbard, 56, credits his desire to serve God and others to his upbringing in a military and devout Catholic family. However, he points to the same-sex marriage debate as the start of his involvement in politics.

He was among a coalition of individuals, groups and religious clergy that successfully pushed a constitutional amendment giving the Legislature the power to limit marriage to opposite-sex couples.

"That whole accomplishment, the amendment, I will always feel honored to be part of it," Gabbard said.

"It was my first real taste of democracy in action, and it gave me a sense of hope that if you get involved in the process, you can make a difference," Gabbard said.

That process involved lobbying lawmakers to vote in favor of the amendment and, in 1996, campaigning against the re-election of those legislators who opposed it. Case, then a member of the state House, voted against the amendment.

At the time, Gabbard said he considered himself a community advocate and rejected encouragement to run for public office after the 1998 elections. And he still cannot remember exactly when he decided to be a candidate.

Two years ago, after selling his condominium in downtown Honolulu and moving to Ewa, Gabbard won a seat on the Honolulu City Council.

Fighting the legalization of same-sex marriage continues to be a cornerstone of Gabbard's political agenda. In television advertisements, he portrays Case as a threat to traditional marriage. But he takes offense to Case's labeling him as a one-issue candidate.

"He's saying we don't care about education, the war in Iraq, the environment and fighting crime," Gabbard said.

"It's not that I care too much about traditional marriage; it's that Case doesn't care about it at all."

Gabbard's resume includes a career as an educator, owner of small businesses, family counselor and founder of a nonprofit environmental advocacy organization.

Case, 52, traces his start in politics to the time he spent in Washington working as an aide to Spark Matsunaga in the U.S. House and Senate in the mid- to late 1970s.

"Spark Matsunaga was clearly my political mentor. Had I not worked for him, I would not have had a career in public service."

He says he continues to apply the lessons he learned while working for Matsunaga to his political career: maintaining a deeply personal relationship with voters through canvassing, talk story and town meetings; the importance of working with anybody who wants to work with you to solve a problem or make things better; and that effectiveness depends on hard work.

And he says he tries to carry himself in Washington with the same humble manner as Matsunaga did.

When Case left the nation's capital to begin his legal education and career as a lawyer, he felt returning to Washington as a U.S. congressman was a possibility for him.

And two years ago, after serving eight years in the state House, he felt the time was right for him to either run for a seat in Congress or for governor of Hawaii. He said he chose the latter because it was a better fit at the time. After his loss in the Democratic primary, he said moving on to fill the vacancy in Congress caused by the death of Patsy Mink was natural.

He feels everything he has done in life has come together to help him serve in Congress.

"I've had a very full life, lost hard races, won hard races. I've had a full family life, spent my lifetime in Hawaii, the place I really love."

He was also managing partner of a large law firm and feels positive about his contributions in the Legislature.

Case believes he represents the next generation for Hawaii in Washington and rejects suggestions that he will return to run for governor in two years.

"Seniority counts in Washington. Hawaii needs that continuity."

He believes Hawaii has taken for granted the seniority it now enjoys.