The following email was sent out this morning from www.EdCase.com. (emphasis added)
Note: He does not ask his supporters to involve themselves in Colleen Hanabusa’s campaign.
Dear Friend:
If the week after election day wasn't enough of an emotional rollercoaster, the days since I withdrew my candidacy have been its equal.
I've received literally thousands of emails, phonecalls and letters and on-the-street comments, most a mixture of disappointment and understanding. I am so grateful for all of those, and will be doing my best to reply personally to each in the coming weeks.
With them came many questions and much advice on my race and future. Below is an interview I did Tuesday with KHON2 News which addresses much of that.
If there's just one point I can highlight, it is to ask you to stay involved this election year with some other candidacy. Our Hawai‘i and country desperately need you, because in these challenging times only the full involvement of each of us will ensure a government that truly represents all.
I again so deeply appreciate your consideration and support. As always, I welcome your thoughts anytime and truly look forward to staying in touch.
Mahalo, and aloha,
Ed Case
U.S. Congressman (2002-2007)
RELATED:
EXCERPTS from KHON2 News Tuesday, June 1 Interview: What’s next for Ed Case?
Case’s email points to the following KHON interview as addressing “my race and future.”
KHON: Ed Case says he's not done with politics, and that his voters won't automatically back Colleen Hanabusa in the Congressional race he dropped out of this weekend.
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Q: In the past you supported Neil Abercrombie. Will that carry into the governor's race?
A: I've been out of my own campaign 36 hours. These things are going to gel in my head over the next couple of weeks, I'm sure. I had no problem at all with Neil as my colleague in the U.S. Congress. We worked well together. Yes, we did support each other in our re-election campaigns in 2004. I think he's a good, honest person with only the motives of Hawaii at the forefront.
Q: Anything you'd like to say about candidate Mufi Hannemann?
A: (Nonverbal no.)
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I think that unfortunately in both the congressional race and the governor's race, we'll probably see the worst negative advertising in our entire history, and I hope voters get fed up with it and vote accordingly…
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Q: What did you want to accomplish with the move this weekend? Is it just the success for Sen. Hanabusa? Is it making peace with Sens. Akaka and Inouye in terms of the rift over the past several years?
A: It wasn't anything more or less than what I said to the convention. I think this election has to be about values, and the values that Colleen and I do share are the values that are taken to Congress if she wins. And I think fundamentally our country is having as debate over values, and I cannot support the values that Charles (Djou) brings there. And so I felt that it was the right thing to do to defer to her and to allow her her chance to make her case and to hopefully project into Congress the values we both believe in.
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Q: Do you see yourself campaigning for Hanabusa? Should people consider that you endorsed her?
A: I supported Colleen at the convention, and I do endorse her. Again, that's one person. And I was very direct with the advice I gave to Colleen at the convention, and I hope she listens to it. She says she's going to listen to it. She needs an adjustment in her approach to earn the number of voters that she needs to win and I think she acknowledges that and understands that and I hope she takes the advice to heart.
Q: What do you think she has to adjust?
A: She has to understand the deep disillusionment and frustration that many of us of any political party or no political party feel in the system of politics in Hawaii today and in our country. We don't want power to be trumping principle and people. We don't want division, we want unity. We don't want extremism, we want consensus. We don't want exclusion, we want inclusion. And those are the things that we all want desperately. As I told the convention, I support Colleen because we share values, but I needed to tell her and everybody there that many people today will vote for change over values if that's what is necessary to accomplish change. That is the danger for Colleen. I think most people in Hawaii do in fact share our values. That doesn't mean they're going to vote for her. The election is about something different for them, and that's what she has to capture.
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Ed Case says, “fundamentally our country is having as debate over values.” Here are some of the values Ed Case holds in common with Colleen Hanabusa: