Here’s a look at the life of US Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, 2020 Democratic presidential candidate. Gabbard represents Hawaii’s 2nd District.
Personal:
Birth date: April 12, 1981
Birth place: Leloaloa, American Samoa
Birth name: Tulsi Gabbard
Father: Mike Gabbard, Hawaii state senator
Mother: Carol (Porter) Gabbard, former Hawaii Board of Education member
Marriages: Abraham Williams (2015-present); Eduardo Tamayo (2002-2006, divorced)
Education: Hawaii Pacific University, B.S.B.A., 2009
Military service: Hawaii Army National Guard, 2003-present, Major
Religion: Hinduism
Other Facts:
As a teenager,co-founded Healthy Hawai’i Coalition, an environmental non-profit.
She is the first American Samoan Congresswoman and first practicing Hindu member of the US Congress.
She is an avid surfer.
Timeline:
2002 – At age 21, is elected to the Hawaii State House to represent West Oahu, making her the youngest woman ever elected to the state legislature.
2003 – Enlists in the Hawaii Army National Guard. She completes her basic training between legislative sessions.
2004-2005 – Gabbard’s unit is activated, and she voluntarily deploys, serving with a field medical unit in Iraq
2006-2009 – Legislative aide to Senator Daniel Akaka of Hawaii.
2007 – Graduates from the Accelerated Officer Candidate School at the Alabama Military Academy. This makes Gabbard the first woman in the Academy’s 50-year history toearn the title of the distinguished honor graduate.
2008-2009 – Gabbard deploys to Kuwait, training counterterrorism units.
November 2, 2010 – Is elected to the Honolulu City Council.
2011 – Founds the film production company, Kanu Productions.
November 6, 2012 – Defeats David “Kawika” Crowley in the2nd Congressional District of Hawaii for the US House of Representatives.
January 22, 2013 – Elected vice chair of the Democratic National Committee.
August 28, 2013 – Aniruddha Sherbow is apprehended in Tijuana, Mexico, after making threats against Gabbard that the FBI and US Capitol Police“deemed credible.”Sherbow is later sentenced to 33 months in prison.
October 12, 2015 – On CNN’s “The Situation Room,” Gabbard says she was disinvited from a Democratic presidential debate, telling Wolf Blitzer that her vocal support for more debates had made her “no longer welcome to come to the debate.”
October 12, 2015 – Is promoted by the Hawaii Army National Guard from captain to major at a ceremony in Hawaii.
November 20, 2015 – Calls for the United States to let Syrian President Bashar al-Assad remain in power.
February 28, 2016 – On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Gabbard announces her decision to step down as DNC vice chair to endorseBernie Sanders’ presidential bid.
November 21, 2016 – Meets withPresident-elect Donald Trump. “President-elect Trump asked me to meet with him about our current policies regarding Syria, our fight against terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS, as well as other foreign policy challenges we face,” Gabbard says in a statement.
January 25, 2017 – Gabbard tells CNN’s Jake Tapper that she met with Assad during anunannounced, four-day trip to Syria.“When the opportunity arose to meet with him, I did so because I felt that it’s important that if we profess to truly care about the Syrian people, about their suffering, then we’ve got to be able to meet with anyone that we need to if there is a possibility that we can achieve peace,” Gabbard says.
January 31, 2017 – Facing criticism, Gabbard issues a statement saying that she willpersonally pay for her trip to Syria.
April 7, 2017 – Gabbard claims she’s “skeptical” that Assad’s regime was behind a chemical weapons attack that killed dozens in Syria though the President, secretary of state and Pentagon officials found that Assad’s regime was responsible for the attack.
November 21, 2018 – Gabbard refers to Trump as “Saudi Arabia’s bitch” in atweetafter he issues a statement backing Saudi Arabia in the wake of the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
January 11, 2019 – Gabbard tells CNN’s Van Jones she will run for president in 2020, during an interview slated to air on January 12. “There are a lot of reasons for me to make this decision. There are a lot of challenges that are facing the American people that I’m concerned about and that I want to help solve,” she says.
January 17, 2019 – Gabbard issues anapology for her past comments and actions against the LGBTQ community following CNN’s earlier report that she had supported her father’s anti-gay organization, The Alliance for Traditional Marriage. Gabbard had previously apologized in 2012 while running for Congress
January 20, 2019 – Gabbard says that she does not regret meeting with Assad in 2017, adding that American leaders must meet with foreign leaders“if we are serious about the pursuit of peace and securing our country.”
February 2, 2019 – Gabbard officially launches her 2020 presidential campaign at an event in Hawaii.
