Reached at her headquarters early yesterday evening, an animated Hirono stopped short of claiming victory but optimistically looked to the future.

"It portends to be a great night, not just for Democrats, but as far as I'm concerned, the people of the United States," she said. "This really is a resounding voice of the people of the country saying we want a new direction."

Democrats taking control of the House is good news for Hawai'i's all-Democrat delegation, especially with 1st Congressional District Rep. Neil Abercrombie's easy victory putting him in line for chairman of the House Tactical Air and Land Forces subcommittee.

Hirono and her Republican opponent, Bob Hogue, were among a dozen candidates who threw their hats in the ring after U.S. Rep. Ed Case announced in January that he would seek a U.S. Senate seat rather than run for re-election.

After a somewhat narrow primary victory, Hirono had a much easier time in the general election, with many factors working in her favor: a seat that has been traditionally Democratic, statewide recognition from her years as lieutenant governor and her gubernatorial campaign, and a war chest that exceeded Hogue's by almost $1 million at last report.

After the second set of results last night, Hogue conceded the race to Hirono.

Hogue gave up his state Senate seat to run for Congress and said he has been so focused on the campaign that he has yet to decide what he'll do next.

"I've enjoyed all the different directions my life has taken me and now it's going to take me in a different direction. We have to see. One day at a time," he said in an interview on KHNL.

While Hogue has a job hunt in his future, Hirono will be heading to Washington, D.C., next week with all the other congressional freshmen for training. After that, she said, she'll come up with a firm game plan, starting with hiring a staff.

Hirono's husband, mother and cat Hemic will remain in Hawai'i, but Hirono will establish a home base on Capitol Hill.

She'll fly back often but plans to also keep in touch with her constituents while she's away by having a responsive staff and perhaps using podcasts when she wants to send a message from the East Coast., she said.

Hirono said that could happen often. "I'll be spending most of my time in D.C.," where she can best help her constituents, she said.

A staunch advocate for women's rights, Hirono was particularly excited that U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi is likely to become Speaker of the House.

"It's historic. It's the first time we will have a woman leading the U.S. House of Representatives," Hirono said.

She supports Pelosi's immediate plans to address prescription drug costs and lobbying reform.

Hirono herself wants to focus on traffic woes in her district, early education and quality teaching.

Then there's what she calls the overriding issue, war in the Middle East. "We need to redeploy our troops out of Iraq," she said.