Aloha Reader,

The Hawai'i Primary Election is 29 days out, and everything below points to the same thing: turnout decides this.

What's inside:

• 🗳️ Ed Case is vulnerable — and we've got to outwork him
• 💃 Della's earning the job, one island at a time
• 🗺️ The map moved — but we won’t give up
• ✊ Stand up for the vote: J20+ Solidarity Forum
• 📡 On our radar

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State news

Ed Case is vulnerable, and we've got to outwork him

Hawai'i Primary Election Day is August 8 — but remember, your ballot has to be received by then, not just postmarked. Find your drop box or voter service center here.​

The New York Times just named Rep. Ed Case one of six vulnerable Democratic incumbents facing progressive primary challengers nationally — putting Jarrett's campaign on the national map. Case brushed it off, saying the Times doesn't "know Hawai'i." We'll see about that.

Meanwhile, Jarrett's first TV ad leans into something Case can't buy: a catchy jingle and kids helping viewers sound out his name, letter by letter. It's fun, it's memorable, and it's a sharp contrast to Case's message — all seniority, all Appropriations Committee, zero fun. Case is leaning on decades of name recognition and a fundraising war chest over three times the size of Jarrett's. Jarrett's leaning on us: grassroots donors, volunteers writing postcards and knocking on doors, and voters willing to learn four new syllables.

Jarrett says: "As you can see from races around the country, people want change." Case's cash won't matter if enough people who want change show up to vote.

Another sign is moving Jarrett's way: as this newsletter goes out, the Prediction Edge betting site showed Jarrett leading Ed Case with 56% support.

It's not just the national media paying attention — Indivisible National is putting real weight behind getting the right information to voters here. They sent a poll to Congressional District 1 (CD1) subscribers this week asking for their input on the race. We'll have results for you next week.

👉 Find out how to help at jarrettforcongress.com
​👉 Find a volunteer shift near you​

Della's earning the job, one island at a time

Della's been logging miles across the state this summer, meeting voters where they live ahead of the August 8 primary.

She's also got the record to back up her campaign. While Jarrett was carrying SB 2471 (Act 11, the Sunshine Over Dark Money law) in the Senate, Della was doing the same work in the House — helping get it signed into law. That's the kind of cross-chamber teamwork Hawai'i needs more of, and exactly why Della's the right person for Lieutenant Governor (LG), the second-highest office in the state.

Want to hear from her directly? Hawai'i News Now is hosting a live conversation with the LG candidates — Au Belatti and Kawakami — on Tuesday, July 14 at 12:30 p.m. [Submit your questions to spotlightnow@hawaiinewsnow.com.]

And here's how to show up for her this week:

📞 Phonebanking sign-ups: Grab a shift here and help us reach voters before ballots drop.

🎉 And if you're in a dancing mood, there's a Dance Party for the People fundraiser on Friday, July 17, 2026, 8:30 p.m. to midnight💃🏻🕺🏻

National news

The map moved - but we're not giving up

Back on April 25, Indivisible Hawai'i State Network’s (IHSN's) BlueWave organizers were feeling good: predictions had Democrats flipping the House 217 Democrats to 205 Republicans, with 13 toss-ups, and Senate control even felt within reach. Today's outlook is much tighter — 205 Democrats to 211 Republicans, with 19 toss-ups.

What happened? The Supreme Court, on April 29, ruled in Louisiana v. Callais that a majority-Black congressional district was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. They had earlier affirmed that partisan gerrymandering is legal. Since then southern states went on a gerrymandering frenzy. Some Democratic states have tried to level the playing field, but keeping pace has been an uphill climb. Virginia is a case in point: voters approved a rare April referendum authorizing mid-decade redistricting, only for Virginia's Supreme Court to strike it down on a technicality — and the Supreme Court rejected Virginia Democrats' appeal on May 15.

We cannot take two more years of Speaker Mike Johnson — "MAGA Mike" — as Trump's lapdog. Winning back a majority of U.S. House seats means Democrats control who holds the gavel, which bills get a floor vote, and which committees get to investigate what. A Democratic majority can open real oversight hearings, issue subpoenas that actually get enforced, block harmful legislation before it reaches the President's desk, and put a check on the White House instead of rubber-stamping its dangerous policies. That's what flipping the House means: not just a new Speaker, but a Congress that answers to voters instead of one madman.

Right now, our focus stays exactly where it needs to be: primary, primary, primary. Turning out voters for Della and Jarrett is the work in front of us. But the moment the primary's behind us, IHSN turns its full attention to Flip Congress Blue — because a tighter map doesn't mean the midterm is unwinnable, it just means we have to out-organize them to clear the hurdles they've thrown at us.

We are 114 days out for the midterms. Here's where to plug in now: Join fellow Indivisibles to write get out the vote postcards for Democrats in swing districts:

✍️ Postcard swing-district voters
​📣 Join the BlueWave team for phonebanking, textbanking, canvassing, and training.

Stand up for the vote: Hawai’i J20+ Solidarity Forum

Trump and his allies are actively sowing doubt about our election system's integrity while working to make it harder to vote. On Friday, July 24, 2026, 6–8 p.m., join fellow Hawai'i advocates — in person at Harris United Methodist Church (20 S. Vineyard Blvd., Honolulu) or streaming — to push back.

Speakers include Senator Karl Rhoads and Judith Wong of the Hawai'i League of Women Voters, moderated by Nandita Sharma. IHSN is a proud co-sponsor alongside Harris United Methodist Church's Sanctuary Ministry Team.

👉 RSVP or find the stream link here.

On our radar

Corruption and cost of living. They're not separate problems — they're related. While Hawai'i families have to stretch every paycheck to the breaking point, the president just disclosed $2.2 billion in personal gains in one year — $1.4 billion of it in crypto alone. Represent Us is tracking it all, scandal by scandal, if you want the receipts.

Confirmed by a US Military Task Force statement, 27 Hawai'i Guard members have been deployed to DC with weapons. We're tracking a developing story that 27 Hawai'i National Guard members have been onboarded and deployed to Washington, D.C. as part of the ongoing, controversial Federal Guard presence there. The reason for their presence remains unclear, as does the length of their deployment. A number of Hawai'i groups, including IHSN, have co-authored a letter of objection to Governor Green, sent on Friday, July 11, 2026. We will share details as they come in.

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Mahalo for reading — and for everything you do to move this fight forward. If this newsletter's useful to you, forward it to someone who needs the nudge to vote.

Warmest Aloha,