If Congressman Ed Case is in any political trouble for voting against most of his Democratic colleagues recently on some significant issues, it doesn’t show in the latest round of campaign finance reports.

Case had raised $262,981 this year as of June 30, according to reports filed this week with the Federal Election Commission. During the same period in the last election cycle leading up to the 2024 election, he had raised $152,080.

It’s early though. For the entire 2024 election cycle, Case raised almost $700,000 as he breezed to reelection, and it remains to be seen if he’ll match that next year and whether he’ll face significant opposition.

Case broke with his party by voting to censure Rep. Al Green for disrupting President Donald Trump’s address to Congress in February and by supporting a bill to require people to show proof of citizenship before they can register to vote.

“I’m sure my contributors do not agree with me on every one of my efforts, but I believe that overall they support my continued service in Congress for various reasons,” Case said in an email to Civil Beat. He was not available for an interview.

‘One Of The Most Conservative’

While his campaign contributions are up, Case isn’t exactly endearing himself to Hawaiʻi’s Democratic voters, said Colin Moore, a University of Hawaiʻi political scientist.

“He’s one of the most conservative Democrats in the House, who has taken controversial votes several times in this most recent iteration of his political career,” Moore said.

Tuesday was the deadline for federal officeholders to file the latest round of campaign finance reports with the FEC.

Unlike the 2023-2024 election cycle, Case is outraising his House colleague in the Hawaiʻi congressional delegation, U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda. She has brought in $229,506.

Case, who represents urban Oʻahu, had $504,149 in cash on hand as of June 30, while Tokuda, who represents rural Oʻahu and the neighbor islands, had $402,276.

Last election, Case raised far more of his campaign money through PACs than through individual donations. So far this year, however, the value of his contributions are nearly evenly split between PACs and individuals. Tokuda, as usual, received far more of her donations from individuals.

Some of Case’s biggest PAC contributors so far this year include the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, $5,000; and the Wine And Spirits Wholesalers Of America, also $5,000.

Moore said he wasn’t surprised that Case is raising more money this year.

“He serves on Appropriations, so that always gives you tremendous amounts of influence, even if you’re in the minority, and you know, the subcommittees on Appropriations he’s on are ones that are being funded right now by the administration,” Moore said. “I mean defense and particularly Homeland Security. So I think for a Democrat, I think he has a fair bit of influence right now.”

That, plus name familiarity and a campaign war chest, will make Case tough to beat even if he faces a primary challenge from a more progressive Democrat next year, Moore said.

Big Bucks For Schatz

On the Senate side of Hawaiʻi’s congressional delegation, Sen. Brian Schatz has already had a lucrative year, considering he doesn’t have to run for reelection until 2028. As of June 30, he had raised $541,636, with most of it coming from individual donors.

Schatz has nearly $2 million in cash on hand, which could serve him well as he campaigns for the No. 2 position in Democratic Senate leadership as whip.

“We have a powerful Democrat who’s always been a strong fundraiser,” Moore said. “Schatz is going to use that money to support other Democrats.

His Senate colleague, Mazie Hirono, has raised just $128,611. But she doesn’t really need it except to make her own contributions to other campaigns. Her term runs through 2030, and she has $1.3 million in cash on hand.

The war chests of the Hawaiʻi senators may sound impressive, but they are dwarfed by some of the mainland U.S. senators and representatives who spent many millions of dollars to win elections last year. Top in the Senate was Ohio’s Sherrod Brown, who raised $93.6 million last election cycle, and in the House, New York’s Hakeem Jeffries, who raised $22.8 million.