Ed Case says he will not run for any other political office this year.

In a interview yesterday, the former U.S. representative said he is not considering any other office and doesn't regret his decision to pull out of the Democratic primary race for Congress.

“;I am not expecting to be a candidate for any other office this year,”; Case said. “;As for the future, I simply don't know.”;

Case was locked in what was expected to be a hotly contested race against Senate President Colleen Hanabusa when he announced to the state Democratic Convention on Sunday that he would not run in the primary.

Saying he was acting in the interest of party unity, Case added that the decision was difficult.

“;I felt it was the right thing to do under the circumstances. Ultimately, the election should be about what values are taken from Hawaii to Capitol Hill.

“;A divisive and bloody primary would compromise our ability to project the values of most voters in Hawaii into our national government,”; Case said yesterday.

Earlier yesterday, Republican Gov. Linda Lingle waded into the charged congressional campaign, saying she wasn't surprised he pulled out.

“;He had run out of money. He had little chance to raise additional funds. The obvious and self-interested choice for him was to live to fight another day,”; Lingle said.

“;He analyzed the situation and made the determination that he couldn't compete effectively. He would try again on another day and hopefully people would have a good feeling toward him,”; Lingle speculated.

Case disagreed.

“;First, she is wrong,”; he said. “;Second, I thought it was awfully strong language to level at someone who is not a candidate. So I will take that as a compliment of some sort.”;

In his speech to the Democrats on Sunday, Case said he hoped Hanabusa would listen to the concerns of his supporters.

During yesterday's news conference at her state Capitol office, Lingle also compared the candidacies of Hanabusa and her GOP opponent, U.S. Rep. Charles Djou.

“;With Hanabusa as his opponent, the distinction is crystal clear,”; said Lingle, an early Djou supporter. “;From a big-spending, pro-labor, big government, insider politics, to Charles, who is a new breath of fresh air, who is a fiscal conservative, obviously a couple of decades younger.”;

Hanabusa didn't comment, but her campaign manager, former state Rep. Eric Hamakawa, said both Lingle and Djou “;are entrenched in the Republican culture of 'No.'”;

“;Lingle and Djou are both great at digging in their heels and then blaming others when nothing gets done,”; Hamakawa said. “;Colleen has proven her effectiveness time and again because she possesses the leadership skills and legislative experience to collaborate effectively.”;