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Tulsi Gabbard

Born:

April 12, 1981
Nationality:

American

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Tulsi Gabbard is an American politician who represented Hawaii in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013 to 2021. Gabbard was a member of the Democratic Party throughout her career until 2022 when she announced she was leaving the party after years of conflict with the party establishment.

Gabbard started her political career with one term in the Hawaii House of Representatives as its youngest-ever member. During her term, she joined the Army National Guard and deployed to Iraq. Nearly a decade later, Gabbard returned to politics and was elected to the Honolulu City Council. Two years later, she won election to the U.S. House, becoming the first Hindu and Samoan member. Gabbard served four terms, until she ran for president in 2020. Though she gained a national spotlight, she dropped out after failing to break through low single digits in the polls. Since 2020, Gabbard has been a pundit, including a brief stint on Fox News, and hosts her own podcast.

Gabbard’s domestic political views are left-wing and largely aligned with U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). She is better known for her controversial non-interventionist foreign policy views which include opposition to regime change and condemnation of most modern American foreign policies. Gabbard has been accused of sympathizing with authoritarian leaders, particularly Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, with whom Gabbard personally met in 2017.

Early Life and Education

Tulsi Gabbard was born in 1981 in American Samoa. At age two, Tulsi and her family moved to Hawaii. She was homeschooled until college besides a few years of traditional education in the Philippines. Her father, Hawaii state Senator Mike Gabbard (D-HI), has served since 2006 and previously served on the Honolulu city council. Her mother, Carol Gabbard, was on Hawaii’s State Board of Education. 1 2

Gabbard was raised as a Hindu and a vegetarian, and grew up influenced by the Science of Identity Foundation (SIF), an off-shoot of the Hare Krishnas, a Hindu religious movement. Critics of SIF consider it a “cult” and allege abuses of authority by its leader, Chris Butler. Gabbard has traditionally downplayed her involvement with SIF, but both her current and ex-husbands were also members, and she has acknowledged that the group has influenced her beliefs. 3

Political and Military Career

In 2002, at the age of 21, Tulsi Gabbard was elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives, becoming its youngest member at the time. 4 Gabbard successfully supported an effort to block a bill that proposed to legalize same-sex civil unions. 5

In 2003, Gabbard enlisted in the Army National Guard. She deployed to Iraq for a 12-month tour and did not run for a second term of office. 6 She later deployed to Kuwait from 2008 to 2009. 7 As of 2022, her LinkedIn page listed her as a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves. 8

In 2010, Gabbard was elected to the Honolulu City Council. 9

In 2012, Gabbard became the first Hindu and Samoan to be elected as a voting member of the U.S. House of Representatives. 10 Gabbard started the Democratic primary down by 50 points in polls, and eventually won in an upset over former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann (D) with a 20 point lead. 11 12

In 2019, Gabbard announced she was running for president. Soon after, she declared that she would not seek reelection to the House. 13 Gabbard’s presidential campaign highlight was an exchange with then-U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) when she attacked the Senator’s career as a prosecutor for arresting non-violent drug offenders and allegedly blocking evidence to keep a prisoner on death row. 14

In the fourth quarter of 2019, Gabbard was criticized for missing 86 percent of U.S. House votes while she campaigned for president. Former Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) called for Gabbard’s resignation. 15

Gabbard dropped out of the Democratic primaries in March 2020 after consistently polling at 1 to 2 percent. 16

Relationship with the Democratic Party

In 2013, after her surprise victory in the Hawaiian Democratic Congressional primaries, Gabbard was considered a rising star in the Democratic Party. That year, she was elected vice chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). However, Gabbard and the party clashed, and the relationship would continue to worsen throughout her career. 17

In 2015, Gabbard claims she was uninvited to a Democratic presidential primary debate after criticizing then-DNC chairperson Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) for not hosting enough debates. 18 Wasserman Schultz ultimately added four more debates. 19

During the 2016 Democratic presidential primaries, Gabbard emerged as an outspoken supporter of U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) over Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D-NY). Gabbard made her official endorsement after Clinton’s victory in South Carolina when Clinton was seen to be firmly pulling ahead of Sanders. The Washington Post said Gabbard had “effectively defected from her party establishment to join the opposition.” Gabbard resigned as vice chair of the DNC. 20

Tensions between Gabbard and Clinton continued to mount over the following years as Gabbard began appearing regularly on Fox News 21 and became more outspoken in her non-interventionist foreign policy views which clashed with Clinton’s hawkish outlook. In 2019, on a podcast, Clinton implied that Gabbard might be an agent for the Russian government. Gabbard responded by calling Clinton “queen of warmongers, embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party.” 22 Gabbard also sued Clinton for defamation but dropped the lawsuit a year later. 23

During and after the 2020 presidential election, Gabbard cemented her reputation as an outsider within the Democratic Party with increased criticism of the establishment, even during debates. 24

In February 2022, Gabbard spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) where she criticized President Joe Biden. 25 26

In August 2022, Gabbard filled in for right-wing host Tucker Carlson on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” on Fox News. 27 Gabbard would later say that she was shunned by fellow Democrats “over and over” for her appearances on Fox. 28

In October 2022, Gabbard announced she was leaving the Democratic Party, which she said was “under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers who are driven by cowardly wokeness, who divide us by racializing every issue and stoking anti-white racism.” 29

Political Views

Foreign Policy

Gabbard is perhaps best known for her anti-interventionist foreign policy views. Gabbard has been highly critical of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, particularly efforts to engage in nation building. 30 At the start of her 2020 presidential campaign, Gabbard declared that both parties “never tire of war.” 31 Gabbard often cites her own military experience, having said, “I know firsthand the cost of war.” 32

Gabbard has been strongly criticized for alleged apologism for Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. In 2013, Gabbard opposed President Barack Obama’s proposed military interventions into Syria against Assad, and was skeptical of American support for anti-Assad rebel forces. In 2016, she voted against a bill that condemned Assad on the grounds that it provided justification for military intervention. In 2017, Gabbard flew to Syria on a fact-finding mission regarding the ongoing Syrian Civil War. Gabbard claimed it was not her intention to meet Assad, but when the opportunity arose, she took it, despite not informing Democratic Party leadership. 33 In a 2020 presidential debate, Gabbard was accused by then-U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) of sympathizing with “war criminal” Assad. 34 Gabbard has consistently claimed that she does not support Assad, but merely opposes American military action in Syria and regime change. She has referred to Assad as a “brutal dictator.” 35

In 2013, Gabbard voted against a resolution condemning rioting in the Indian state of Gujarat which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,000 Indians, primarily Muslims. Critics of then-Gujarat Chief Minister and later Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, whom they often accuse of authoritarianism and Hindu nationalism, have blamed Modi for the severity of the rioting. Gabbard has spoken favorably of Modi, met with him in 2014, and spoke at a fundraiser for his political party. 36

Gabbard has been criticized for being perceived as soft on Russia. In February 2022, as Russia invaded Ukraine, Gabbard wrote on Twitter that President Joe Biden’s administration was to blame for failing to “[acknowledge] Russia’s legitimate security concerns regarding Ukraine’s becoming a member of NATO.” 37 In March, Gabbard claimed that the level of censorship in American mainstream media was comparable to government censorship in Russia. 38 In July, the Ukrainian government placed Gabbard on a list of pro-Russian propagandists. 39

Contrary to her other foreign policy views, Gabbard is considered hawkish on Islamic terrorism. In 2017, Gabbard criticized President Barack Obama for failing to identify that “radical Islamic ideology” is “fueling” ISIS and other terrorist groups. She has supported the U.S. working with Assad and Russia to combat ISIS. 40 41

LGBT Interests

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Gabbard worked for the Alliance for Traditional Marriage, a group that supported so-called gay-conversion therapy. Gabbard’s father also held anti-LGBT beliefs, and founded a group called “Stop Promoting Homosexuality.” 42 Gabbard claims that her views changed while serving overseas in the military. 43 In 2019, Gabbard apologized for her past anti-LGBT beliefs. As a U.S. Representative, she consistently voted for LGBT interests, including supporting repealing the Defense of Marriage Act in 2013. 44

Abortion

Gabbard opposes the unrestricted access to abortion. In December 2020, Gabbard introduced legislation to outlaw abortion of fetuses that can feel pain. 45

Education

Gabbard supports taxpayer-paid tuition for community colleges and for students below a certain income for four-year state universities. 46

Gun Control

Gabbard has supported bills to ban ownership of modern sporting rifles and institute background checks for all gun purchases. 47

Marijuana

Gabbard supports the federal legalization of marijuana. 48

Economics

Gabbard supports left-wing economic policies, including U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders’s (D-VT) Medicare-for-All plan. In her 2020 presidential campaign, Gabbard advocated “breaking up the big banks.” 49

References

  1. Dingeman, Robbie. “Who is Tulsi Gabbard? It’s Complicated.” Honolulu. February 1, 2019. Accessed October 19, 2022. https://www.honolulumagazine.com/who-is-tulsi-gabbard-its-complicated/.
  2. Beauchamp, Zack. “Tulsi Gabbard, the controversial, long-shot Democratic 2020 candidate, explained.” Vox. June 26, 2019. Accessed October 19, 2022. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/1/16/18182114/tulsi-gabbard-2020-president-campaign-policies.
  3. Han, Yoonji. “Tulsi Gabbard’s ties to the Science of Identity Foundation, a controversial religious sect that some call an abusive ‘cult’.” Insider. October 18, 2022. Accessed October 19, 2022. https://www.insider.com/tulsi-gabbard-science-of-identity-controversial-religious-sect-2022-10.
  4. “Tulsi Gabbard.” Iowa State University. Accessed October 19, 2022. https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/directory/tulsi-gabbard/.
  5. “The Honolulu Advertiser from Honolulu, Hawaii – 1.” Newspapers. February 20, 2004. Accessed October 19, 2022. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/266701920/.
  6. “Tulsi Gabbard.” Iowa State University. Accessed October 19, 2022. https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/directory/tulsi-gabbard/.
  7. “Meet the Incoming Congressional Class Veterans.” PBS News Hour. November 12, 2012. Accessed October 19, 2022. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/meet-the-incoming-congressional-class-veterans.
  8. “Tulsi Gabbard – LTC, Civil Affairs – US Army Reserves | Linkedin.” LinkedIn. Accessed November 1, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/tulsigabbard.
  9. “Tulsi Gabbard.” Iowa State University. Accessed October 19, 2022. https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/directory/tulsi-gabbard/.
  10. “Tulsi Gabbard.” Iowa State University. Accessed October 19, 2022. https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/directory/tulsi-gabbard/.
  11. Levine, Michael. “Gabbard Completes Upset By Crushing Hannemann.” Civil Beat Honolulu. August 9, 2012. Accessed October 19, 2022. https://www.civilbeat.org/2012/08/16801-hawaii-2nd-congress-democrat-primary-gabbard-hannemann/.
  12. Beauchamp, Zack. “Tulsi Gabbard, the controversial, long-shot Democratic 2020 candidate, explained.” Vox. June 26, 2019. Accessed October 19, 2022. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/1/16/18182114/tulsi-gabbard-2020-president-campaign-policies.
  13. “Tulsi Gabbard.” Iowa State University. Accessed October 19, 2022. https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/directory/tulsi-gabbard/.
  14. Tso, Tiffany Diane. “Tulsi Gabbard’s Attack On Kamala Harris’ Criminal Justice Record, Explained.” Refinery29. August 1, 2019. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/08/239455/tulsi-gabbard-kamala-harris-debate-prosecutor-record.
  15. Marcos, Cristina. “Former Hawaii Democratic governor calls on Gabbard to resign.” The Hill. December 23, 2019. Accessed October 19, 2022. https://thehill.com/homenews/house/475777-former-hawaii-democratic-governor-calls-on-gabbard-to-resign/.
  16. Beauchamp, Zack. “Tulsi Gabbard’s presidential campaign is officially over.” Vox. March 19, 2020. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/3/19/20751585/tulsi-gabbard-drops-presidential-campaign-2020/.
  17. Daysog, Rick. “Tulsi Gabbard says she was uninvited to Democratic presidential debate.” Hawaii News Now. October 13, 2015. Accessed October 19, 2022. https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/30244951/tulsi-gabbard-uninvited-to-presidential-debate/.
  18. Daysog, Rick. “Tulsi Gabbard says she was uninvited to Democratic presidential debate.” Hawaii News Now. October 13, 2015. Accessed October 19, 2022. https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/30244951/tulsi-gabbard-uninvited-to-presidential-debate/.
  19. [1] Phillips, Amber. “Why did Tulsi Gabbard just endorse Bernie Sanders?” The Washington Post. February 28, 2016. Accessed October 19, 2022. https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:GRakFZYs2EYJ:https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/02/28/why-did-this-top-dnc-official-just-endorse-bernie-sanders/&cd=10&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
  20. [1] Phillips, Amber. “Why did Tulsi Gabbard just endorse Bernie Sanders?” The Washington Post. February 28, 2016. Accessed October 19, 2022. https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:GRakFZYs2EYJ:https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/02/28/why-did-this-top-dnc-official-just-endorse-bernie-sanders/&cd=10&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us.
  21. Oprysko, Caitlin. “Harris whacks Gabbard over criticism of fellow Democrats.” Politico. November 20, 2019. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.politico.com/news/2019/11/20/kamala-harris-thumps-tulsi-gabbard-debate-072380.
  22. Beauchamp, Zack. “The Hillary Clinton-Tulsi Gabbard feud, explained.” Vox. October 22, 2019. Accessed October 19, 2022. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/10/22/20924999/hillary-clinton-tulsi-gabbard-fight-explained.
  23. Cillizza, Chris. “What is Tulsi Gabbard actually doing on Russia?” CNN Politics. March 1, 2022. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/01/politics/tulsi-gabbard-cpac-ukraine-russia.
  24. Oprysko, Caitlin. “Harris whacks Gabbard over criticism of fellow Democrats.” Politico. November 20, 2019. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.politico.com/news/2019/11/20/kamala-harris-thumps-tulsi-gabbard-debate-072380.
  25. Bolies, Corbin. “’Right at home’: Tulsi Stakes Her Claim at CPAC.” Daily Beast. February 26, 2022. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.thedailybeast.com/democrat-tulsi-gabbard-says-she-feels-right-at-home-at-cpac.
  26. Salam, Erum. “Tulsi Gabbard quits Democratic party, attacking ‘elitist cabal of warmongers.” The Guardian. October 11, 2022. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/11/tulsi-gabbard-quits-democratic-party.
  27. Quay, Grayson. “Tulsi Gabbard fills in on Tucker Carlson Tonight.” The Week. August 13, 2022. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://theweek.com/tucker-carlson/1015890/tulsi-gabbard-fills-in-on-tucker-carlson-tonight.
  28. Hurley, Bevan. “Tulsi Gabbard tells Joe Rogan she was shunned by Democrats ‘over and over’ for appearing on Fox News.” October 12, 2022. Accessed October 22, 2022. https://news.yahoo.com/tulsi-gabbard-tells-joe-rogan-143333712.html.
  29. Salam, Erum. “Tulsi Gabbard quits Democratic party, attacking ‘elitist cabal of warmongers.” The Guardian. October 11, 2022. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/11/tulsi-gabbard-quits-democratic-party.
  30. Beauchamp, Zack. “Tulsi Gabbard, the controversial, long-shot Democratic 2020 candidate, explained.” Vox. June 26, 2019. Accessed October 19, 2022. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/1/16/18182114/tulsi-gabbard-2020-president-campaign-policies.
  31. Haltiwanger, John. “Tulsi Gabbard’s foreign policy frustrates centrist Democrats, draws cheers from anti-interventionists, and makes her political identity tough to pigeonhole.” Business Insider. February 13, 2019. Accessed October 19, 2022. https://www.businessinsider.com/tulsi-gabbard-complicated-foreign-policy-explained-2019-2.
  32. Phillips, Amber. “Why did Tulsi Gabbard just endorse Bernie Sanders?” The Washington Post. February 28, 2016. Accessed October 19, 2022. https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:GRakFZYs2EYJ:https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/02/28/why-did-this-top-dnc-official-just-endorse-bernie-sanders/&cd=10&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us.
  33. Siddiqui, Sabrina. “Tulsi Gabbard reveals she met Assad in Syria, without informing top Democrats.” The Guardian. January 26, 2017. Accessed October 19, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/26/tulsi-gabbard-bashar-al-assad-syria-democrats.
  34.  Salam, Erum. “Tulsi Gabbard quits Democratic party, attacking ‘elitist cabal of warmongers.” The Guardian. October 11, 2022. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/11/tulsi-gabbard-quits-democratic-party.
  35. O’Connor, Tom. “The Tulsi Gabbard Bashar al-Assad Controversy Explained.” Newsweek. August 1, 2019. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.newsweek.com/tulsi-gabbard-bashar-assad-controversy-explained-1452141.
  36. Salam, Erum. “Tulsi Gabbard quits Democratic party, attacking ‘elitist cabal of warmongers.” The Guardian. October 11, 2022. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/11/tulsi-gabbard-quits-democratic-party.
  37. Cillizza, Chris. “What is Tulsi Gabbard actually doing on Russia?” CNN Politics. March 1, 2022. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/01/politics/tulsi-gabbard-cpac-ukraine-russia.
  38. “Tulsi Gabbard.” Politifact. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/mar/18/tulsi-gabbard/tulsi-gabbard-falsely-claims-us-not-so-different-r/.
  39. Gallagher, Conor; O’Leary, Naomi. “Clare Daly added to list of alleged Russian propagandists by Ukraine’s security service.” The Irish Times. July 26, 2022. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220726204314/https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2022/07/26/clare-daly-added-to-list-of-alleged-russia-propagandists-by-ukraines-security-service/.
  40. Zimmerman, Malia. “’Knives are out’: Hawaii Dem faces backlash over ‘Islamist’ extremism.” Fox News. August 17, 2017. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/knives-are-out-hawaii-dem-faces-backlash-for-taking-on-obama-over-islamist-extremism.
  41. Cunningham, Alan. “American agents of misinformation: Tulsi Gabbard, Russian propaganda and article 88.” New Eastern Europe. October 12, 2022. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://neweasterneurope.eu/2022/10/12/american-agents-of-misinformation-tulsi-gabbard-russian-propaganda-and-article-88/.
  42. Beauchamp, Zack. “Tulsi Gabbard, the controversial, long-shot Democratic 2020 candidate, explained.” Vox. June 26, 2019. Accessed October 19, 2022. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/1/16/18182114/tulsi-gabbard-2020-president-campaign-policies.
  43. Dingeman, Robbie. “Who is Tulsi Gabbard? It’s Complicated.” Honolulu. February 1, 2019. Accessed October 19, 2022. https://www.honolulumagazine.com/who-is-tulsi-gabbard-its-complicated/.
  44. Kesslen, Ben. “Rep. Tulsi Gabbard apologizes for past anti-LGBTQ views.” NBC News. January 17, 2019. Accessed October 19, 2022. https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/rep-tulsi-gabbard-apologizes-past-anti-lgbtq-views-n959941.
  45. Evans, Zachary. “Tulsi Gabbard Introduces Bill to Block Abortion of Fetuses Capable of Feeling Pain.” Yahoo! December 16, 2020. Accessed October 19, 2022. https://www.yahoo.com/video/tulsi-gabbard-introduces-bill-block-191930470.html.
  46. Desjardins, Lisa. “What does Tulsi Gabbard believe? Where the candidate stands on 7 issues.” PBS. January 22, 2019. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/what-does-rep-tulsi-gabbard-believe-where-the-candidate-stands-on-7-issues.
  47. Desjardins, Lisa. “What does Tulsi Gabbard believe? Where the candidate stands on 7 issues.” PBS. January 22, 2019. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/what-does-rep-tulsi-gabbard-believe-where-the-candidate-stands-on-7-issues.
  48. Angell, Tom. “Tulsi Gabbard Endorses Legalizing Drugs.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, January 19, 2020. https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomangell/2020/01/19/tulsi-gabbard-endorses-legalizing-drugs/?sh=7482e496ed40.
  49. Beauchamp, Zack. “Tulsi Gabbard, the controversial, long-shot Democratic 2020 candidate, explained.” Vox. June 26, 2019. Accessed October 19, 2022. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/1/16/18182114/tulsi-gabbard-2020-president-campaign-policies.
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