
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard became the first presidential candidate ever to surf off the coast of New Hampshire, taking to the waves on New Year's Day.

Gabbard, a congresswoman from Hawaii vying for the Democratic nomination, donned a so-called 'winter wetsuit' and plunged into waters chillier than 40 degrees.

'There is absolutely no better way to start the day and to start the year,' the longtime surfer said after catching some waves on the Granite State's Hampton Beach. 'Highly recommend it. If we could go surfing every day and bring everybody out, that'd be awesome.'

Hours later her campaign said she had raised $3.4 million in the last three months of 2019, her largest total so far but far behind the $34.5 million raised by Bernie Sanders in the same period.

Presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard became the first hopeful to ever surf on a New Hampshire beach, taking to the waves on New Year's Day

2020 hopeful Tulsi Gabbard is seen surfing on New Year's Day in New Hampshire, the first state to hold a presidential primary

Presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard (right) went surfing in water under 40 degrees on New Year's Day, becoming the first candidate to ever surf at a New Hampshire beach

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (left) talks with locals after surfing on New Year's Day in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of New Hampshire, which hosts the nation's first presidential primary on February 11

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (right), one of the 14 Democrats running for president, takes a selfie on the beach in New Hampshire after surfing on New Year's Day

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (right) holds onto her surfboard as a supporter with a Tulsi Gabbard sign (left) stands alongside her

WHAT THE 2020 DEMS RAISED AT THE END OF 2019 Bernie Sanders: $34.5 million Pete Buttigieg: $24.7 million Joe Biden: $22.7 million Elizabeth Warren: $21.2 million Andrew Yang: $16.5 million Amy Klobuchar: $11.4 million Tulsi Gabbard: $3.4 million AND FOR COMPARISON Donald Trump: $46 million Advertisement

A number of supporters with signs gathered on the beach around Gabbard, who is one of now 14 Democrats running for the nomination, with former HUD Director Julian Castro announcing he was suspending his campaign Thursday.

A day before, on New Year's Eve, she also tested out the New Hampshire waters, taking a dip in the Atlantic Ocean - then 45 degrees - alongside UFC fighter Chuck Rosa, who lost two sons to the opioid crisis.

The opioid epidemic has hit New Hampshire particularly hard.

Gabbard has taken an unusual approach in seeking the nomination.

As of late, she's been laser-focused on New Hampshire, which hosts the nation's first primary on February 11, after the Iowa caucuses on February 3. She said even if she qualified for the December debate she planned to campaign in New Hampshire instead.

Gabbard has also tried to find crossover voters, appearing frequently on Fox News Channel as a way to get her message out. Most Democrats have avoided the right-leaning channel. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, one of the four at the top of the Democratic crop, has outright refused to appear on Fox News.

A day before, Tulsi Gabbard (right) went for a dip in the Atlantic Ocean with UFC fighter Chuck Rosa (left) to spread awareness about the opioid epidemic

Tulsi Gabbard (right) gives Chuck Rosa (left) a hug after they went on a New Year's Eve swim in the Atlantic Ocean off the New Hampshire coast

Presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard (right) is seen swimming in the Atlantic Ocean with UFC fighter Chuck Rosa (left) on New Year's Day to spread awareness about opioids. Rosa lost two sons to the drug crisis

She's also decided not to run, again, for her Congressional seat, putting all of her focus on her presidential bid.

But even before her 2020 bid, Gabbard has been a bit of a political mystery.

She famously resigned from the Democratic National Committee during the 2016 cycle to actively campaign for Sen. Bernie Sanders, the more progressive choice against mainstream Democrat Hillary Clinton.

But she then met with President-elect Trump in days following his upset victory.

Another meeting, that with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, in early 2017 has been a controversy that's followed her to the Democratic debate stage.

She and then-candidate Sen. Kamala Harris tussled over the meeting, which Gabbard has characterized as a fact-finding exploration to better understand the conflict in Syria.

'I will never apologize for doing all that I can to prevent more of my brothers and sisters from being sent into harm's way, to fight counter-productive regime-change wars that make our country less safe, that take more lives, and that cost taxpayers trillions more dollars,' Gabbard argued during the Democratic debate in July. 'So if that means meeting with a dictator, or meeting with an adversary, absolutely. I would do it. This is about the national security of our country.'

This is an area where Gabbard's rhetoric matches Trump's, who's talked about pulling the U.S. out of endless entanglements in the Middle East.