Tulsi Gabbard was rightly incensed last week when Hillary Clinton falsely labeled her a “Russian asset.” But the smear has helped Gabbard’s struggling campaign far more than it hurt her — a point Gabbard has used to her advantage.

While the Hawaii Democrat expressed indignation, as did several of the other Democratic presidential hopefuls tired of Clinton’s continued attempts to insert herself into the political scene, she was also quick to take advantage of Clinton’s blatantly false allegation and general lack of popularity.

“People warned me in 2016 that my endorsement of Bernie Sanders would be the end of my ‘political career.’ They said, ‘Clinton will never forget,’ that she and her rich and powerful friends, her allies in politics and in the media, will make sure that you are destroyed,” Gabbard says in a new campaign video. “They’ve tried to destroy my reputation and my lifetime of service because I stood up to them.”

Hillary & her gang of rich, powerful elite are going after me to send a msg to YOU: “Shut up, toe the line, or be destroyed.” But we, the people, will NOT be silenced. Join me in taking our Democratic Party back & leading a govt of, by & for the people! https://t.co/TOcAOPrxye pic.twitter.com/TahfE2XOek — Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiGabbard) October 20, 2019

“If they can falsely portray me as a traitor, then they can do it to anyone,” Gabbard continues. “And, in fact, that’s exactly the message they want to get across to you, that if you stand up against Hillary and the power party brokers, if you stand up to the rich and powerful elite and the war machine, they will destroy you and discredit your message.”

Gabbard’s message — that the party establishment doesn’t care about the disillusioned voters in “flyover” states — is a message that resonated in 2016 among Republicans, and it now has the potential to do the same among Democrats in 2020. Ironically, Gabbard’s anti-elitism campaign resembles Trump’s. Their policies might differ, but the populist sentiments supporting their platforms are the same.

Clinton’s smear gave credibility to that message, which is exactly what happened in 2016. What exactly did Clinton expect? Has she forgotten the effect her "deplorables" insult had on Trump's campaign? It’s almost as if Clinton is a walking shill for the kind of national populism she detests.

Gabbard’s campaign is still at the rear of the pack, but she did gain nearly 2 points in Iowa after Clinton’s smear surfaced. Gabbard will likely ride this fame as long as she can. And why shouldn’t she? It’s working.

Gabbard might not be a Russian asset, but Clinton certainly seems to be Tulsi’s.