State Sen. Colleen Hanabusa has entered the running for U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie's soon-to-be-vacant 1st Congressional District seat.

Hanabusa, the Senate majority leader, will officially announce her candidacy at a news conference this morning at Restaurant Row.

The announcement ends months of speculation about Hanabusa's intentions.

"My deliberation was a question of how I could continue to best serve the people of Hawai'i," Hanabusa said. "Whichever way I looked at it, I'm a good legislator — that's my strength. So I decided that this would be the best arena."

Hanabusa, the first woman to lead either house of the Legislature, said she would be in a better position to address her priority — stabilizing Hawai'i's economy — at the congressional level.

"Hawai'i has always been very dependent on federal programs and federal aid, and thanks to our congressional delegation, we've been able to get more than our fair share," she said. "We need to continue to work together, especially for a state like ours in which the major economic engines are sensitive to the global economy."

Abercrombie is vacating the position to run for governor. The 1st District covers urban Honolulu from Hawai'i Kai to Mililani.

In 10 years as a state legislator, including six as Senate president, Hanabusa has built a reputation as a progressive Democrat with a talent for building consensus.

Hanabusa's main competition for the Democratic nomination in the 2010 contest looks to be Ed Case, who served in the U.S. House from 2002 to 2007. Honolulu Councilman Charles Djou is running for the congressional seat as a Republican.

Hanabusa said that while she and Case are both able to "articulate and advocate for Hawai'i," they differ in their approaches.

"We're very different in terms of style and who is better able to build consensus," she said. "If you look at our records, since we served a similar number of years in the Legislature, you'll see that I spent all but two years in leadership positions. And what I've come to learn is that it's very important for legislators to have the ability to build consensus and compromise. It's also important to know when you can't compromise."

Hanabusa, a labor attorney, was first elected in 1998 to serve District 21, which includes Ko Olina, Kahe Point, Nanakuli, Ma'ili, Wai'anae, Makaha, Makua and Ka'ena Point.

She ran unsuccessfully for the 2nd Congressional District seat in the 2002 special election to replace Patsy Mink (finishing third behind the winner, Case) and again in 2006, when she lost a close election to current U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono.

Hanabusa said the failed bids provided her an education in what it will take to win the 2010 election.

"You need to have a structure that you can rely on, and you need to have support bases from as many different venues as you can," she said.

Those venues could include national organizations such as Emily's List, which supports pro-choice Democratic women's candidates, she said.

Hanabusa said that if she is elected, she intends to work closely with the rest of the Hawai'i delegation to maximize its influence in Congress.

"Hawai'i has only four seats, and if we can't walk in synch, Hawai'i loses," she said.