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Tulsi Gabbard: The Iraq War veteran has been called a “rising star” in the Democratic Party
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In an apparent effort to rein in speculation about her ambitions, U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard announced Thursday that running for vice president of the United States “is certainly nothing I’ve ever thought of doing.”
Democrat Gabbard, who represents the 2nd Congressional District (rural Oahu, neighbor islands), issued that terse written statement after a report was published in The Garden Island newspaper on Kauai that Gabbard had said she would be “willing” to run for vice president.
“Let’s set the record straight,” Gabbard said in her statement. “A reporter asked me, if the presidential nominee (I presume Democrat) were to ask me to serve alongside him or her as vice president, would I consider it.”
“I told them I would consider it, because obviously if the Democratic presidential nominee felt I could actually contribute and be of service to the people of Hawaii and our country, then it would be disrespectful and absurd for me not to consider it,” she said.
Gabbard, an Iraq War veteran who is serving her second term in Congress, has been repeatedly described in mainland news accounts as a “rising star” in the Democratic Party and has been featured in national news coverage and cable television talk shows.
All of that media exposure has helped fuel speculation that Gabbard, 34, might be aiming higher than her current political post. But Gabbard said a run for vice president isn’t part of her plan.
“No one ‘runs for VP’ and it’s certainly nothing I’ve ever thought of doing,” she said in her statement. “I’ve been working as hard as I can to serve the people of Hawaii in Congress, and I will continue to focus on that responsibility.”