Tulsi Gabbard ends run, backs Joe Biden

Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has ended her long-shot bid for the Democrat presidential nomination.

Democrat congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard Picture: AFP

Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has ended her long-shot bid for the Democrat presidential nomination after a campaign in which she feuded with Hillary Clinton and had notable debate moments but failed to break through with voters.

Ms Gabbard offered her full support to Joe Biden, saying it was clear that primary voters had chosen the former vice-president to take on President Donald Trump in November.

Noting their political differences, Ms Gabbard said she ­respected Mr Biden and had ­confidence in the motivations of his campaign effort.

“Although I may not agree with the vice-president on every issue, I know that he has a good heart, and he’s motivated by his love for our country and the American ­people,” she said in an email and a video posted to Twitter.

“I’m confident that he will lead our country, guided by the spirit of aloha respect and compassion, and thus help heal the divisiveness that has been tearing our country apart.”

Democrat socialist Bernie Sanders is considering his future after Mr Biden built an almost ­insurmountable lead in delegates needed to secure the nomination in Milwaukee in July.

As the coronavirus outbreak continues, Ms Gabbard, a major in the Army National Guard, said she would focus on her continued service, including military experience, should it be needed.

“I feel that the best way I can be of service at this time is to continue to work for the health and wellbeing of the people of Hawaii and our country in congress, and to stand ready to serve in uniform should the Hawaii National Guard be activated,” said the veteran of two tours of duty in the Middle East.

Ms Gabbard, 38, made pulling the US out of overseas conflicts a pillar of her campaign.

She had a spat with Mrs Clinton, who implied without evidence that Republicans were “grooming” Ms Gabbard to run as a third-party candidate to dilute the Democratic vote. Ms Gabbard said she had no intention of mounting a third-party bid. She later filed a defamation lawsuit against the 2016 Democrat nominee and former secretary of state.

During her candidacy, Ms Gabbard appeared often on Fox News and angered fellow Democrats by voting “present” on the articles of impeachment against Mr Trump. She had moments of national attention during several Democrat debates. At the first event, she confronted congressman Tim Ryan after he said the US should remain engaged in the Middle East. In later debates, she attacked Kamala Harris over her record as a prosecutor and criticised the Democratic establishment’s approach to foreign policy.

The dispute with Mrs Clinton also vaulted her into headlines. The former secretary of state said the Democrat was “a favourite of the Russians”.

Mrs Clinton didn’t name the candidate, but her comments were widely interpreted to refer to Ms Gabbard, and some of the ­Hawaii representative’s Democratic presidential rivals defended her. Ms Gabbard attracted a sizeable following in New Hampshire, where she frequently campaigned ahead of the state’s February primary. Some past supporters of Senator Sanders in the state warmed to her campaign over time, and she espoused a similar outsider ­approach to the Vermont ­senator’s 2016 run, which she supported.

She was also part of what once was a historically diverse Democratic field and the last of a half-dozen female candidates to depart the race. The American Samoan was the first Hindu to run for president. And as one of the youngest candidates in the field, Ms Gabbard outlasted senators and governors who came into the primary race with higher ­profiles.

Although she failed to qualify for any stage past the fifth debate, in November, Ms Gabbard was awarded two delegates once voting began, both in the March 2 contest in her native American Samoa. Yet Gabbard’s campaign was also quick to attract questions from voters. The Hawaii congresswoman has faced a backlash for her 2017 meeting in Syria with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, whose government has been ­accused of chemical weapons ­attacks against its own citizens. And with a primary challenge looming, she announced in October she would not run for re-election to her Hawaii congressional seat.

AP, The Wall Street Journal