Honolulu Councilman Charles K. Djou is running for Congress as a Republican in 2010.

In a letter seeking donations from supporters dated March 14, Djou wrote that he will run for Hawai'i's 1st Congressional District seat, which covers the area from Hawai'i Kai to Mililani and Waipahu.

The district is now represented by U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, a Democrat, who is running for re-election this fall.

"I'm running for Congress because we need a level head in Washington," Djou wrote in a fundraising letter to supporters. "We don't need heated rhetoric. We don't need partisan squabbles. We need someone whose only focus is Hawai'i and what is best for the people of Hawai'i.

"My focus is on the concerns of our community: small-business men and women, who are the source of our economic health; on our public education system, which is critical to our future; and on our national defense, which is vital to our nation and to Hawai'i," he said.

Term limits prohibit Djou from running for re-election to the City Council when his term ends in 2010. His council district includes the area from Hawai'i Kai to Waikiki.

In October, he filed papers with the election commission allowing him to raise money for a federal campaign, he said.

Abercrombie yesterday said he is focused on his re-election campaign this fall and will attend to the immediate needs of his constituents.

"I hope he'll be voting for me in 2008. It's the strangest thing I've ever heard. If I should be replaced, don't you think it should be as soon as possible?" said Abercrombie.

"I've long since learned, since the first election I wasn't supposed to win, you best not get past yourself. One does well to ask for the faith and trust of your constituents right in front of you. The election I'm dealing with is 2008."

Djou is a graduate of Punahou School, and earned a B.A. in political science and a B.S. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Finance and Commerce and a juris doctorate from the University of Southern California.

Djou is a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve.

He is a member of the Republican Party and has served as vice chairman of the state party and as a representative in the state House of Representatives.

Abercrombie began his political career in the state Legislature in 1974 and, following two terms in the state House, spent eight years in the state Senate.

He also served on the Honolulu City Council from 1988 to 1990.

Abercrombie has represented Hawai'i's 1st Congressional District since 1991.

He holds a B.A. in sociology from Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., a master's in sociology and a Ph.D. in American studies from the University of Hawai'i.

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.