HONOLULU -- Hawaii Rep. Ed Case announced on Thursday that he will run against fellow Democrat Sen. Dan Akaka this fall.

Case telephoned Akaka earlier in the day to inform the senator of his decision, sources said.

"Our Hawaii has been served ably and with great distinction by generations of U.S. Senators, including Sen. Daniel Akaka. Like all of our Hawaii, I have the deepest aloha for Sen. Akaka and truly honor his decades of selfless service. But we all know that we are in a time of transition our Hawaii's representation in Congress and especially in the Senate. "This transition requires that we phase in the next generation to provide continuity in that service."

---

Interactive: Survey | Discussion | Case Decision | Reaction

---

If both senators were to leave office at the same time he said, "we don't want to have all of 'their accumulated seniority over night." Which would leave Hawaii "vulnerable while we build it anew from scratch."

Case, 53, is halfway through his second term in Congress. He won a special election to the House when the late Rep. Patsy Mink died. Case was a state legislator and made an unsuccessful bid for governor. He lost to former Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono in the primary.

Akaka, 81, has been in the Senate since 1990 when he was appointed to replace Sen. Sparky Matsunaga, who died while in office. He had been in the House from 1976.

Both politicians face re-election this year. That means the Democrats will not have an incumbent running for the House seat that covers rural Oahu and the neighbor islands.

Case said he knows he will face criticism from fellow Democrats who will say he's disloyal or not waiting his turn.

"There is never a good time to change, but there's a right time, and the time is now," Case said.

He said neither of Hawaii's U.S. senators, who are both 81 years old, will serve forever. So he's selling himself as "the next generation," who can start building up seniority in Washington, where senior senators wield more power.

Case said his political philosophy is more representative of mainstream Hawaii than Akaka's viewpoint.

"Clearly, I have struck a more independent and moderate viewpoint of my voting in congress, whereas he has been kind of more of a party loyalist," he said.

Case said he has about $150,000 in his campaign war chest. That's much less than Akaka's campaign, which said Akaka has about $600,000 cash on hand.

Akaka is in Washington. His campaign manager said the senator welcomes the challenge because it will toughen their camp.

"Sen. Akaka has a long and distinguished career in the U.S. Senate. He's ready to run on the issues and his accomplishments for Hawaii," Akaka Campaign Chairman Wayne Yamasaki said.

Rep. Neil Abercrombie said Senate Democrats are rallying around Akaka as he seeks re-election. Abercrombie called Akaka the Hawaiian heart of the Hawaiian delegation.

"Sen. Akaka's support among is colleagues in Washington is universal, universal. He's a treasure," Abercrombie said.