Introduction

Tulsi Gabbard, the four-term Democratic representative from Hawaii, has ended months of speculation by formally declaring her candidacy for the 2020 presidential election.



“We are being torn apart, with divisions that seem too deep to heal. But when we are united in the spirit of love, there is no challenge we cannot overcome,” she wrote today in a tweet.



Gabbard, an Iraq war veteran, has earned fans for her “unorthodox” political style while concerning others because of her changing views on issues such as homosexuality. She’s also had a binary relationship with the Democratic party she hopes to lead, alternating between being scorned and lauded for her work.



If elected, Gabbard, now 37 years old, would become the youngest president in U.S. history — President Theodore Roosevelt was 42 years old when he took office in 1901.



Here’s more on Gabbard’s political and financial history:



Gabbard was an early endorsee of Bernie Sanders, and resigned her seat as vice chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee after fighting then-DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz over the a 2016 presidential debate schedule that, some Sanders backers contended, gave eventual nominee Hillary Clinton an advantage over the other primary candidates.

Differentiating herself from many Sanders supporters, Gabbard in 2016 met with President Donald Trump because of their similar views on immigration and handling of terrorist threats. She later admonished then-Trump aide Steve Bannon for his analysis of her politics.

Sources: Center for Responsive Politics reporting, lobbying contribution reports via the Clerk of the House, personal financial disclosure filing via the U.S. House of Representatives, Federal Election Commission

