Ed Case announced his candidacy today for the 1st Congressional District seat held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie.

“I’ve been honored to serve in elective office for four years in Congress and eight years in our Hawaii State Legislatre. For me, the question has never been whether to continue my public service, but when and how. My head and heart tell me I can best serve by returning to Washington, D.C,” said Case during an online announcement on his Web page http://www.edcase.om.

“I can and will put my seniority, experience and relationships in D.C. to work on our challenges from day one,” Case said.

“Our priority must be to get our country’s economy moving again. Everything else ... from balancing our budget to protecting our country to taking care of ourselves and our aina…depends on that. This is where I’ve focused throughout my career, not just in federal and state office, but in almost 30 years in our private sector.”

Brian Schatz, chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, said, “Democrats are excited that we’re going to have strong choice and we feel confident that we can recapture the governor’s seat and retain the first congressional district because Hawaii voters wanted elected officials to support President Obama’s agenda.”

Earlier this month Abercrombie announced his intention to run for governor in 2010.

Gov. Lingle is nearing the end of her second term in office and cannot run again because of term limits. Republican Lt. Gov. James “Duke” Aiona has also indicated he would run for governor in 2010.

Case was elected to Congress in 2002 in a special election held after Patsy Mink died. He was reelected in 2004. In 2006 he lost to incumbent Daniel Akaka in a bid for the U.S. Senate.

Case also ran for governor in 2002 and lost the Democratic primary to Mazie Hirono, who has since been elected to Congress.