Veteran state Sen. Donna Mercado Kim announced Wednesday she is joining the race to represent Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House.

“It’s a tough time in Washington nowadays, and it’s not for the weak-hearted. Hawaii really needs a warrior. We need somebody who can go in there, hit the ground running and be able to get results,” Kim (D, Kalihi Valley-Moanalua-Halawa) said in an interview.

“I have that proven record — my experience, my knowledge, my tenacity — to be able to stand up to the special interests in D.C., and to make sure that we are protecting the interests of Hawaii, the interests of our keiki, our kupuna, our working families and our veterans,” she said. “I want to put Hawaii first.”

Kim’s political career began in 1983 in the state House of Representatives. She went on to serve for 15 years on the Honolulu City Council before being elected to the state Senate in 2000. In the Senate, she served as chairwoman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee and as Senate president for three years.

“We’re a small state; we only have four delegates in Congress. So each one has to be effective, and I think experience speaks a lot, because we don’t have time to learn on the job,” she said. “It’s really important that we send qualified, capable, proven people there.”

Over the years, Kim, 65, has gained a reputation for scrutinizing public spending, often grilling department heads about funding requests or project overruns. She said her penchant for fiscal accountability would be valuable in Congress.

“Challenges drive me. I’m not afraid to stand up and I’m not afraid to go after some of these bureaucrats and hold them accountable,” she said. “Sometimes people are taken aback by that, but this is serious stuff — it’s people’s livelihoods, it’s hard-earned taxpayer dollars that get wasted.”

At the same time, Kim says, she has a record of collaborating and compromising to get things accomplished.

“It’s a rough-and-tumble Congress at this point in time. But I want to go there to defend Hawaii, our island values, and to make friends and work with people on the other side of the aisle and with my Democratic colleagues,” she said.

State Rep. Kaniela Ing also announced this week that he is running for the seat, which represents urban Honolulu. Rep. Beth Fukumoto is considering a run.

Kim finished second in the 2014 Democratic primary for the seat, losing to the late Mark Takai, 43 percent to 27 percent.

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa recently announced she plans to run against Gov. David Ige in 2018.