Gabbard was a part of Congress from 2013 – 2021 as a representative for Hawaii, and is a practicing Hindu. In fact, she was the first Hindu to be elected to the House. She was the vice chair of the Democratic National Committee from 2013-2016. Interestingly, her father Mike Gabbard, is a democrat and has been a part of Hawaii’s state senate since 2006, according to the Women’s Political Communication archives.
Causes that Gabbard was especially interested in supporting were government-run healthcare, free college tuition, and gun control, and these were a part of her platform when she ran for president against Joe Biden back in 2020, according to the BBC.
Then, in 2022, she apparently became disenchanted with the Democratic Party, accusing it of being an “elitist cabal of warmongers” driven by “cowardly wokeness.”
She registered as an independent for a short time, speaking out on gender and freedom of speech. Finally, she decided to throw her support behind Donald Trump as he ran for a second presidential term, and she became a republican in 2024.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Michael M. Santiago/Staff
