releases: https://gabbard.house.gov/news/in-the-news/nyt-tulsi-gabbard-rising-democratic-star-hawaii-makes-mark-party-defying-it
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| https://gabbard.house.gov/news/in-the-news/nyt-tulsi-gabbard-rising-democratic-star-hawaii-makes-mark-party-defying-it | NYT: Tulsi Gabbard, Rising Democratic Star From Hawaii, Makes Mark on Party by Defying It | 2015-11-28 | 2015 | 2015-11 | Democrat | House | HI | Tulsi Gabbard | G000571 | gabbard.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON Between the chilly temperatures and the pace of the push-ups, there was plenty to complain about after eight lawmakers straggled into the park behind the Longworth House Office Building for their regular 6:30 a.m. workout. While the others in the group griped and groaned on a recent Tuesday, Representative Tulsi Gabbard, 34, her Hindu prayer beads wrapped around a wrist for her daily yoga meditation, said little. Tulsi, you hearing a lot of whining? asked Representative Markwayne Mullin, a burly Oklahoma Republican and former professionalmixed martial artsfighterwho leads the workouts, mocking the complaints of her companions. Im feeling like whining, she replied between push-ups. Ms. Gabbard, Democrat of Hawaii, has a reputation among her colleagues for being a composed, contemplative presence in a chamber more prone to reaction than reflection. But lately she has started to shed that persona. Since thedeadly attacks in Paris, she has become a high-profile critic ofPresident Obamas policies in Syria by amplifying her argument that President Bashar al-Assad should stay in power to avoid elevating the Islamic State and by introducing legislation to defund American efforts to overthrow him. Shortly aftervoting with House Republicansthis month to drastically tighten screening procedures for Syrian refugees in defiance of Mr. Obamas veto threat Ms. Gabbard traveled to Paris. From there, she made the case for focusing on defeating the Islamic State in her fourth national television interview of the week. My responsibility is to the people of Hawaii and the American people to stand up and fight for what is right and what is in the best interest of our country, she said in an interview Tuesday. That has nothing to do with party politics. It is not exactly what Democrats had envisioned when they tapped her for stardom. That unexpected burst came just weeks after she bucked the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, by calling for more presidential candidate debates. Those fights have left Ms. Gabbard straddling the line between being a next-generation leader for Democrats and a prominent critic of her partys leaders. You couldnt get a better role model, said Representative Steve Israel, who led the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee when Ms. Gabbard was first elected in 2012. She reflected the diversity of the caucus and at the same time had amazing credibility on the issue of national security. Ms. Gabbard, who served two combat tours in the Middle East and holds the rank of major in the Hawaii Army National Guard, has also called for the United States to suspend its visa waiver program with European countries until the intelligence community can catch up with the influx of Syrian refugees, an economically risky proposition. You want to talk about the effect on the economy if these actions are not taken and an attack is allowed to occur here, even though weve identified this vulnerability? she said on CNN this month. While Ms. Gabbard is only now becoming better known in Washington, her rsum has long attracted attention. At 21, she became the youngest person ever elected to the Hawaii Legislature. A year later, she joined the National Guard. The year after that, she abandoned her re-election campaign to voluntarily deploy with the rest of her unit to Iraq a decision she recounted when the party showcased her with abrief speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2012as a candidate for Congress. When she was sworn into office in 2013, she became not only the first Hindu and the first American Samoan elected to Congress, but also one of the first female combat veterans. So it is no surprise that leaders in both parties have kept an eye on Ms. Gabbard, a risk-taker who loves to surf and ordered her wedding dress five days before her ceremony in April. That leadership, no disrespect, is a much older generation, and theres this younger, new generation thats coming in within theDemocratic Party, said Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the Republican majority leader and one of Ms. Gabbards frequent workout partners. I think she has an opportunity to be a great leader. The home-schooled daughter of a state senator and a former member of the State Board of Education, Ms. Gabbard has credited her parents for her early interest in public service. She helped her father, Mike Gabbard, start a nonprofit devoted to environmental education when she was a teenager, an effort that prompted her to consider a path in politics. But glad-handing did not come naturally to Ms. Gabbard. I was probably not your prototype political candidate, she said. I had no background, no training, extremely shy, a total introvert, and really what I had was that motivation, that desire. She developed a knack for it, eking out an upset victory 10 years later in a hard-fought congressional primary in her Democratic-leaning district. Ms. Gabbard entered the race as a Honolulu councilwoman with a fraction of the support of an established former mayor of Honolulu, Mufi Hannemann and walked out with 55 percent of the vote to Mr. Hannemanns nearly 34 percent and, eventually, the seat. Party leaders rushed to put her to work mentoring candidates about campaign mechanics and defense issues. Shortly after she joined Congress, Patrick Gaspard, a former White House official who was then executive director of the Democratic National Committee, tapped Ms. Gabbard to become a vice chairwoman, she said, a post with fund-raising, campaigning and other party duties she had to have explained to her. Coming to be a vice chair of the D.N.C. is not something I ever sought out. Its not something I knew a lot about, she said. I said, What exactly do you want me to do? It was in that capacity that shecriticized Ms. Wasserman Schultz, the top officer, last monthfor leaving her and other party officials out of the discussions about the Democratic presidential debates specifically, the number and the fact that candidates who participated in unsanctioned debates would be disqualified from appearing in others. Ms. Wasserman Schultz declined to be interviewed for this article. Ms. Gabbard said in an interview that she had spoken out on principle. But to some, exposing internal disputes is a grave offense. Some Democrats privately questioned whether Ms. Gabbard, who takes pride in her independence, was well suited to the more partisan post, said one House Democrat, who asked not to be identified because the discussions were internal party matters. Though Ms. Gabbard has been unsparing in her criticism of some of Mr. Obamas national security decisions, some Democrats said that only made her voice more valuable. We Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee are not there to rubber-stamp administration policy, said Representative Adam Smith of Washington, the committees top Democrat. Were there to say what we think is right, and Tulsi does that and does it very well. Ms. Gabbard said, Id be dishonoring the memory of a lot of folks who Ive served with who didnt make it home if I didnt stand up for what I believe is right and stand up and speak the truth. It is a quality that has earned her the respect of many Democrats and some Republicans. Thirteen lawmakers attended her wedding in Hawaii, including Mr. McCarthy and about a half-dozen other Republicans, said Representative Kyrsten Sinema, an Arizona Democrat. Mr. Mullin, who was also on her guest list, said Ms. Gabbard has the ability to forge relationships on both sides. And she has a personality people just seem to want to work with, he said. Ms. Sinema, 39, said there was an emerging divide in Congress between younger members and older members. She said Ms. Gabbard exemplified a less partisan method of coalition-building that will ultimately prove more appealing to voters. Shes a solid Democrat, Ms. Sinema said. But shes really practical in terms of how she approaches issues and gets things done. Sgt. Ryan Soon, 31, who served under Ms. Gabbard in Kuwait on her second tour and has been a strong supporter of her political career, said she had earned the respect of her soldiers by exhibiting a reasoned practicality, recognizing her units strengths but also bolstering its weaknesses. And her presence at ad hoc barbecues supplemented with canned goods and meals ready to eat did not hurt, either, he said. She was a leader that people followed not because they had to but because they wanted to, Sergeant Soon said. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |