Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard Says She’s Considering A Run For President

By: Sara Mattison

HONOLULU (KHON2) – Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard says she’s considering a run for president. That’s according to her Washington D.C. office.

Hawaii Pacific University Political Analyst Dr. John Hart tells us the timing is typical and Congresswoman Gabbard is taking the steps a candidate normally would in a situation like this: she’s writing a book, hired a consultant from Iowa, and took a trip to New Hampshire.

Dr. Hart tells us the Congresswoman is definitely testing the waters, especially since Iowa is where the first caucus is and New Hampshire is where the first primary takes place.

“She’s not afraid to run for president. She’s always thought big,” said Dr. Hart.

Dr. Hart tells us one challenge Gabbard will face is being from Hawaii.

“We don’t have a lot of electoral votes. Traditionally as a presidential candidate, you need to be able to pull huge blocks of votes which is why we often see a candidate from Texas, California, New York, Ohio, or a state like that,” he said.

On the other hand, he says Gabbard would appeal to different types of voters.

“She’s female. She’s a minority. She’s served in the armed forces. She has standing with progressives who are the expanding part of the Democratic party. She has a lot of positives and so certainly she could be looked at as a vice presidential candidate just as I believe Bernie Sanders would have been the Democratic nominee, she would’ve been looked at as a vice presidential candidate,” he said.

Dr. Hart tells us if Senator Sanders runs for the 2020 presidential election, then it will make Gabbard’s decision more difficult because in the 2016 primaries she was a big supporter of Sanders.

​​​​​​Gabbard’s office tells us they will not be providing any comment at this time.