HONOLULU, HI—Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) won Saturday’s three-way Democratic Primary Election, earning 84 percent of the votes cast. Rep. Gabbard thanked Hawaii voters for their overwhelming support.
“I’m so thankful to the people of Hawaii who demonstrated with their votes resounding support for my hard work to serve them, to bring the aloha spirit to Washington, and to fight for peace. They saw through the mudslinging and dirty campaigning, and took a stand for peace and ending regime change wars,” Rep. Gabbard told her supporters.
She added: “Hawaii’s people understand that the cost of war impacts us all—through lives lost and resources wasted. Every dollar spent on interventionist wars of choice is a dollar we are not investing in our communities right here at home on things like healthcare, education, infrastructure, and more.” “I’m grateful for the privilege of serving the people of Hawaii and this country as we fight for our people, our planet, and our future.”
Rep. Gabbard spent her life growing up in Hawai‘i. As a teenager, she co-founded an environmental non-profit called Healthy Hawai’i Coalition, focused on educating children about protecting Hawaii’s environment, according to her official biography.
An advocate for environmental policy, Rep. Gabbard was elected to the Hawai‘i State Legislature in 2002 when she was just 21 years old, becoming the youngest person ever elected in the state. A year later, she joined the Hawai‘i Army National Guard to serve Hawai‘i and our country. In 2004, Tulsi volunteered to deploy with her fellow soldiers, becoming the first state official to voluntarily step down from public office to serve in a war zone.
In 2012, she was elected to the United States House of Representatives, serving Hawaii’s 2nd District. She is one of the first two female combat veterans to ever serve in the U.S. Congress, and also its first Hindu member.
