A lifelong Democrat, U.S. Rep. Ed Case has often made decisions that left him isolated from his party.

As a member of the state House of Representatives in 1998, he was part of a move to unseat then-Speaker Joe Souki and challenged the majority on issues such as education and government reform.

In 2002, he jumped into the Democratic primary for governor against party-favored Mazie Hirono.

While he lost the election, the campaign gave him statewide recognition, and a couple of months later he was able to win two special elections to fill the late Patsy Mink's seat in the U.S. House. He won re-election to the seat two years ago.

While serving in Congress, Case has tried to fit in with the rest of the Hawai'i delegation, but has occasionally split from them, such as in his support of a Hawai'i exemption to the Jones Act — a federal law that requires cargo ships operating between domestic ports to be U.S.-flagged and -crewed.

Often characterized as a loner, Case has been described as someone who collaborates well with others, and he has taken a grass-roots style to the communities he represents.

Since his election to the U.S. House, he has continued to hold frequent "talk story" sessions in his district.

Case, 53, has family roots in many Neighbor Island areas, including those on Maui, Kaua'i and the Big Island.

He was born in Hilo in 1952, the oldest of Jim and Suzanne Case's six children. He spent his elementary years in the public schools, then attended Hawai'i Preparatory Academy from seventh grade through high school.

After receiving a psychology degree from Williams College in Massachusetts in 1975, Case was an intern for the late U.S. Rep. and U.S. Sen. Spark Matsunaga, who inspired him to seek elected office.

But first he would earn a law degree at the University of California's Hastings College of Law (1981), then work as a law clerk for then-Hawai'i Supreme Court Chief Justice William S. Richardson.

From there, he specialized in land and commercial law for the Carlsmith Ball firm.

Case served four years as a Manoa Neighborhood Board member, beginning in 1985.

In 1986, he launched a campaign against then-state House Democratic incumbent Brian Taniguchi. Case lost, then two years later he lost a challenge against then-state Sen. Ann Kobayashi.

Case eventually won election to the state House in 1994, when Taniguchi vacated the seat to run for the state Senate. Case served two terms in the state House and spent part of the time as majority leader.