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Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard plans to kick off her presidential campaign Saturday at an event on the great lawn of the Hilton
Hawaiian Village in Waikiki.
The campaign has not
released details about the event, but said the public can RSVP through Gabbard’s campaign website, tulsi2020.com, to learn more. According to the website, the event, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., will be free to the public.
Gabbard, a Democrat
representing Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District,
announced that she was
running for president during a Jan. 11 interview with Van Jones on CNN, saying that an official announcement would be forthcoming within the week. She released a launch video on Jan. 24.
Gabbard’s overriding campaign message so far has been about uniting the country.
“When we listen to each other with a clear mind and an open heart, we will heal the divide and build a majority coalition around our common values of service above self, freedom, justice, love
for country, prosperity and peace,” Gabbard wrote on her website. “When we act out of compassion for each other and love for our country and the earth, we will
rediscover the joy of serving a higher purpose, together.”
Gabbard’s campaign has gotten off to a rocky start. Her campaign manager,
Rania Batrice, and her consulting firm, Revolution Messaging, are set to leave her campaign after this weekend’s event, Politico reported Tuesday in a story that described her campaign as being in disarray. Batrice was a deputy campaign manager for Bernie Sanders during the 2016 presidential race.
Gabbard’s campaign downplayed the departures to Politico, saying Batrice is a longtime adviser and friend of the congresswoman, and that Revolution Messaging was hired only for the campaign launch.
But Politico described the departures as a blow to a campaign that is already struggling. The news site said Gabbard vacillated over the past couple of months on her campaign rollout, ultimately surprising and frustrating her staff when she announced her bid on CNN.
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