At the same time that he was in Washington, D.C., at Hawaiʻi taxpayer expense opposing the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Gov. Josh Green was quietly launching a national political action committee that aims to work for health care, homelessness, gun control and “pro-science candidates for federal office.”

Green has never publicly announced the formation of the Heal America PAC, but he did appear in public with two of his partners in the political venture during the second of two D.C. trips he took in January to oppose the Kennedy nomination.

Political analysts say Green’s effort to step up and try to fill a void in national Democratic leadership makes sense. Still, the national PAC being registered at the same time the governor was traveling at the expense of Hawaiʻi taxpayers illustrates the tricky balancing act he faces.

The trips, taken Jan. 5-9 and Jan. 27-30, were for official state business, according to the governor’s office. The PAC was registered Jan. 28 with the Federal Election Commission. The combined cost for the two trips was $14,208, according to documents from the governor’s office.

“When the governor travels there should be a clear distinction between state business and political advocacy,” Colin Moore, a University of Hawaiʻi political scientist, said Friday. “Hawai’i taxpayers have a right to know what hat he’s wearing.”

The governor’s office did not respond to Civil Beat inquiries about the Heal America PAC. Andy Winer, the Heal America spokesperson and a close associate of Green’s, declined to comment on the timing of the January trips and the PAC’s launch.

Green is working with well-connected political operatives who have long been deeply involved with his campaigns.

Winer is a longtime advisor to Green, and the PAC’s treasurer is Lori LaFave, who runs a Virginia-based fundraising and political consulting firm that specializes in prominent national campaigns and causes.

Winer is also an executive with the public affairs and communications firm Strategies 360, a Seattle-based company with Hawaiʻi connections. He is a former chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz and his past clients include Pacific Resource Partnership, a pro-rail labor group connected with Hawaiʻi’s carpenters union.

Green has often retained LaFave’s fundraising services, including paying her $18,000 for consulting during the last half of 2024. Green was elected governor in 2022 and has since raised money to run for reelection next year.

LaFave, whose other clients include Schatz and fellow U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Angus King, the Senate Majority PAC and the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, did not respond to a request for comment about Green’s new PAC.

Winer initially said in a text that he had no comment “beyond what is on the website.”

On Thursday, however, Winer texted a quote that he attributed to Green:

“I am completely committed to Hawaiʻi in every way, and as the highest ranking elected official in the country with a medical background, and the only physician Governor, I need to fight to protect our nation’s healthcare system. Launching Heal America provides me and allies with a way to fight for Medicaid, vaccination programs and all of our public health needs.”

‘The Anti-RFK’

John Hart, a professor of communication at Hawaiʻi Pacific University and a veteran commentator on Hawaiʻi politics, described the formation of the PAC as “the next logical step” in Green’s advocacy of health care and homelessness issues, “two causes obviously near and dear to him.”

Hart said the PAC also allows Green to position himself as “the anti-RFK,” at a time when many feel the Democratic Party needs to have stronger voices as advocates.

“It’s interesting to speculate how much of a move this is to the national stage; he will undoubtedly run again for governor in 2026 and so any movement would be years away,” Hart said. “But sometimes doing the right thing also is the politically correct thing.”

Moore agreed, saying, “The fact that the national Democrats don’t have any clear leader at the moment has opened space for blue state governors like Green to emerge on the national scene. In some respects, it would be more surprising if a relatively young and ambitious politician like Green weren’t exploring ways to build a broader profile.”

And it isn’t that Green has neglected his day job, Moore said.

“At this point, I don’t think Green’s involvement is extensive enough to create concerns about his focus on Hawai’i,” Moore said. “Governors have long played dual roles as state executives and national political actors. Think of Ron DeSantis, Gavin Newsom or even Linda Lingle back in the early 2000s.”

Growing National Profile

Green has a long history of combining his medical background with his political ambitions. As lieutenant governor under Gov. David Ige, Green was a constant media presence during the Covid pandemic, sometimes disagreeing with Ige.

Even before the pandemic, in 2019, Green traveled to Samoa with a team of medical professionals to assist with a measles outbreak. He would later accuse Kennedy of promoting misinformation about the vaccination program even as children were dying of measles.

Green has repeatedly called Kennedy, who was narrowly confirmed by the Senate, unqualified for the position in no small part because of his well-known anti-vaccine activism. Green’s status as both a sitting governor and a medical doctor has led to many national media appearances.

The Heal America PAC website features photos and videos of Green, including images of the governor wearing medical scrubs and a stethoscope.

“Founded by Dr. Josh Green, physician and Governor of Hawaii, HEAL AMERICA is guided by his original vision,” the website states.

There are also video clips featuring Green, including from Hawaiʻi News Now and CBS News, and a Jan. 7 op-ed in The New York Times titled, “I’m the Governor of Hawaii. I’ve Seen What Vaccine Skepticism Can Do.”

In addition to supporting pro-science political candidates, the Heal America PAC website states it will convene thought leaders “across a broad range of issues relating to health to find innovative solutions to our nation’s challenges.”

Additionally, it will “stand up against anti-science misinformation and government public health malpractice” and fund humanitarian outreach and medical missions to aid people during public health emergencies “such as disease outbreaks and natural disasters.”

Traveling ‘In His Official Capacity’

Heal America has not yet filed any contribution or expenditure reports with the Federal Election Commission.

The PAC, which includes a “Donate” link, lists three organizations it describes as partners: 314 Action, Protect Our Care and Everytown for Gun Safety. Protect Our Care is a nonprofit focused on health care, while 314 Action is a nonprofit PAC focused on electing Democrats with a background in science.

A spokesperson for Everytown for Gun Safety declined to comment about Heal America, and a press inquiry to 314 Action got no response.

But Protect Our Care President Brad Woodhouse said in an email, “We have worked alongside Governor Green to call out the dangerous Trump agenda to undermine science, rip away health care, and dismantle our nation’s public health infrastructure. Governor Green is a health care champion through and through, and we look forward to continuing the fight to protect Medicaid and other vital health programs from these horrific attacks.”

Green appeared at a press conference in Washington on Jan. 29 organized by Protect Our Care, an event that included a doctor with 314 Action, Schatz and several other senators.

A media advisory for the event stated, “Governor Green will detail the devastating measles outbreak in Samoa, which he saw firsthand while responding to the crisis and lawmakers, experts, advocates, and storytellers will warn about the deadly consequences if RFK Jr. is at the helm of American health care.”

In a Jan. 27 email, the governor’s office said Green had traveled to Washington “in his official capacity as the Governor of the state of Hawaiʻi. Our physician-Governor is seeking to ensure the future of crucial access to healthcare for all people, as well as critical programs like Medicare and Medicaid, which are lifelines for the people of our islands.”

There is an unrelated Heal America PAC registered with the FEC, by the way. It is sponsored by Rep. Mike Kennedy, a Utah Republican who also is a physician. It spent $2,000 in 2024 to elect Kennedy and to support political activity in the Georgia primary.