HONOLULU >> Republican U.S. Sen. John McCain has endorsed former Rep. Charles Djou in his bid to represent Hawaii in the U.S. House.

Djou is running as a Republican in Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District. He’s running for the seat that Rep. Colleen Hanabusa is leaving to run for Senate.

McCain says he has been impressed by Djou’s independence and integrity as a former politician. He says he is proud of Djou’s military service in Afghanistan.

Djou served in Congress for seven months from 2010 to 2011 after he won a three-way special election.