Press release: Indivisible Hawaiʻi endorses Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole for Congress

Published: May 7, 2026

Screenshot of the press release about Indivisible Hawaii's endorsement of Jarrett Keohokalole for Congress on May 7th, 2026.

Endorsement decision follows a careful six-month vetting process

Honolulu, Hawaiʻi — Indivisible Hawaiʻi Statewide Network (IHSN) conducted a poll of its members to select the candidate for Hawaiʻi’s First Congressional District seat. Members were asked to participate in a webinar prior to the vote to ensure they had a thorough understanding of the candidates and their campaigns.

IHSN members who participated in the webinar selected Senator Keohokalole by 54% to 39% for Representative Della Belatti, with 7% undecided and no votes for the incumbent Representative Ed Case. IHSN Leadership backed the endorsement in a unanimous vote yesterday.

Senator Keohokalole stated, “I am honored to be endorsed by Indivisible Hawaii, a highly respected progressive grassroots organization that has supported the legislation I introduced to rein in ICE and Customs and Border Patrol, as well as my bill to end the plague of dark money in our politics, along with my other progressive measures. Having support from an organization that was able to turn out 25,000 activists across the state for their No Dictators Day rallies will be critical to helping us get out the vote.”

Lisa Gibson, IHSN Lead, said, “We were fortunate to have two great candidates step forward to challenge Rep. Case, who has demonstrated through his voting record in Congress he is out of step with the people of Hawaii and represents out-of-state dark money, not us. Both challengers agreed to stringent criteria we established for endorsement, including policy, character, commitment to hold the Trump regime accountable, as well as recognizing that this primary must become a two-person race.

“In addition to his legislative record, I believe Senator Keohokalole prevailed with our members because he has built a strong campaign that has the best chance of winning the Congressional District 1 Primary Election, thanks to his fundraising, his endorsements and the team he has assembled.”

Indivisible Hawaiʻi will encourage its members to contribute their time, energy and resources to Senator Keohokalole’s campaign. IHSN has demonstrated its ability to mobilize Hawaiʻi residents to turn out for No Dictators Day rallies, to get out the vote in swing districts nationally and to shape public policy in the State Legislature. IHSN will bring the same energy to elect Senator Keohokalole.

“It’s important that we have an advocate for democracy, civil liberties and civil rights representing Hawaii in Congressional District One,” said Gibson. “Too often Ed Case has voted against the position taken by the other members of our congressional delegation, including refusing to join them in signing a letter to DHS Director Kristi Noem, objecting to the tactics used by ICE and CBP here in Hawaiʻi.

“He has cancelled the votes of Representative Jill Tokuda on key issues by voting for the Save Act, a Republican voter suppression bill, and by opposing child care tax credits and other health and safety provisions in the Build Back Better Act. Last week he did it again, voting to extend warrantless mass digital surveillance, despite known abuses by this Department of Justice and the FBI.”

“We urge all those eligible to vote in Congressional District 1 to use their voice in the August 8 Primary to elect Sen. Keohokalole to ensure their needs are being heard and acted on. Hawai’i only has two votes in the U.S. Congress – we must make sure both votes are in our state’s best interest by electing Sen. Keohokalole,” said Gibson.

About Indivisible Hawaiʻi

The mission of the 13-chapter Indivisible Hawaiʻi Statewide Network (IHSN) is to protect Hawaiʻi and democracy through grassroots action to defend civil rights, diverse communities and values, most importantly, Hawai'i's Constitutionally protected spirit of Aloha. To say, “No Dictators”! and “Stand up for Democracy,” in March 2026, IHSN and its partners turned out more than 25,000 residents on all major islands, coinciding with the more than 8,000,000 people in streets across America organized by Indivisible’s national organization and its partners.