Tulsi Gabbard, a U.S. Representative from Hawaii, was one of the breakout stars on Night 2 of the CNN Democratic Debates. Gabbard was sharing a stage with top candidates like Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Cory Booker, but it was the Hawaii National Guard member who was the most-searched by viewers.
At the end of the night, Google Trends showed that Gabbard was the top searched candidate of the night.
Gabbard had a breakout moment during the debate when she challenged Kamala Harris on her controversial record as Attorney General in California.
“Sen. Harris says she’s proud of her record as a prosecutor and that she’ll be a prosecutor president, but I’m deeply concerned about this record,” Gabbard said. “There are too many examples to cite but she put over 1,500 people in jail for marijuana violations and then laughed about it when she was asked if she ever smoked marijuana.”
Gabbard’s standout moment garnered some praise for the pundits as she looks to continue building her support in an effort to qualify for the September debates.
Night 2 of the CNN Democratic Debates featured Gabbard along with Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, Former Vice President Joe Biden, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, California Sen. Kamala Harris, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, and Businessman Andrew Yang.
Whether Gabbard is able to achieve the necessary requirements for the September debates remains to be seen, but she certainly has momentum in her corner.
The next Democratic debates which require at least 2 percent in four national polls and 130,000 unique donors will be held on September 12 and September 13.
Tulsi Gabbard Bio
Born: April 12, 1981 (age 38)
Gabbard was home-schooled throughout high school before heading to the Philippines for a two-year Christian missionary academy. Gabbard attended Hawaii Pacific University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration.
Gabbard also spent time in the United States military as a member of the Hawaii Army National Guard. Gabbard served in a field medical unit as a specialist during a 12-month volunteer tour in Iraq. Gabbard obtained the rank of Major during her service. She continues to be enlisted in the Hawaii Army National Guard to this day.
To begin her political career, Gabbard served in the Hawaii House of Representatives from 2002 to 2004. She was elected at the age of 21 which made her the youngest woman to be elected to a U.S. state legislature. She resigned from her role as vice chair of the Democratic National Committee to endorse Senator Bernie Sanders during his 2016 presidential campaign.
Gabbard announced on February 2, 2019, that she would be running for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 presidential race.