Former state senator Hee joins race for Hawaii governor

HONOLULU — Former state senator Clayton Hee is joining the race to be Hawaii governor.

The Democrat said Tuesday tax dollars should pay for health care, affordable housing and universal preschool instead of projects like Honolulu’s planned rail line. He says he’s running to stop spending on projects that are “out of control.”

Hee was first elected to the state House in 1982, when he represented Molokai, Lanai and west Maui. He represented windward Oahu in the state Senate.

He served as a trustee for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs from 1990 through 2002.

He’ll face Gov. David Ige and U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa in the Democratic primary. On the Republican side, House Minority Leader Rep. Andria Tupola and John Carroll, a former state representative and senator, are campaigning for the job.