Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) said she wont seek re-election to her House seat as she focuses on winning the race for president.
“Im fully committed to my offer to serve you, the people of Hawaii & America, as your President & Commander-in-Chief. So I will not be seeking reelection to Congress in 2020. I humbly ask for your support for my candidacy for President of the United States,” Gabbard said in a statement late Oct. 24.
Gabbard said she was grateful to the people of Hawaii for electing her several times to represent them in Congress.
“Throughout my life, Ive always made my decisions based on where I felt I could do the most good. In light of the challenges we face, I believe I can best serve the people of Hawaiʻi & our country as President and Commander-in-Chief,” Gabbard said.
“As president, I will immediately begin work to end the new cold war & nuclear arms race end our interventionist foreign policy of being the worlds police, toppling dictators and governments we dont like, and redirect our precious resources towards serving the needs of the people here at home.”
Gabbard, 38, easily won the 2018 election for her House seat, garnering over 77 percent of the vote. She was first elected in 2012 and started in Congress the next year.
Gabbard has struggled in the Democratic presidential race, often polling behind 8 to 12 other candidates. Her average among all nationwide polls is currently 1.3 percent, good for 10th.
She has had some breakout moments during the debates shes qualified for, including criticizing Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) for her time as a prosecutor and calling out the New York Times and CNN for smearing her.
Gabbard was thrust back into the spotlight last week when 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, who lost to President Donald Trump, implied Gabbard was favored by Rusia.
“Theyve got their eye on somebody who is currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third-party candidate,” Clinton said during a podcast. A spokesperson told the
