In Hawaii, the incumbent Democrats resisted the progressive wave in the primaries.

Representative Ed Case won the Democratic primary in Honolulu on Saturday with 57% of the vote, defeating a 43-year-old progressive challenger. Governor Josh Green and Representative Jill Tokuda also retained their seats.

Ed Case, 73, solidified his hold on Hawaii's 1st Congressional District by defeating State Senator Jarrett Keohokalole, who garnered only 34% of the vote. This centrist, who has held the seat since 2019 and previously served in the House of Representatives from 2002 to 2007, will face Republican candidate Adriel Lam in November in an election that remains heavily favorable to Democrats in this Honolulu district.

Case's victory comes amid internal tensions within the Democratic Party, where established politicians are facing younger opponents with a left-leaning agenda. Progressives criticized him, in particular, for voting in favor of the SAVE Act, a law introduced by the Trump administration regarding voter eligibility, which his detractors accuse of eroding voting rights. Keohokalole also highlighted campaign contributions from the corporate world to portray Case as an elected official out of touch with his constituents.

The financial argument worked against him: Case had warned that a defeat would cost him his seat on a key budget committee, potentially depriving Hawaii of federal funding. Three other candidates were also vying for the seat.

This result contrasts sharply with the momentum seen in recent weeks in other states, where left-leaning candidates succeeded in unseating incumbents in Colorado, Kentucky, and New York. In Hawaii, the trend is reversed: in the 2nd Congressional District, Jill Tokuda won her primary with 84% of the vote, and Governor Josh Green, in office since 2022, also defeated several challengers to secure the Democratic nomination.