Maybe it felt a little familiar—a young, telegenic progressive who grew up in Hawaii taking the stage at the Democratic National Convention.

For Tulsi Gabbard, who’d started a political career in state government, being invited to speak at the 2012 convention was unusual—she was only a candidate for Congress, not a member. Still, she’d caught the eye of party brass, and there she was in Charlotte, North Carolina, talking about her time in a war zone with the National Guard, and honoring the troops, and moving America forward.

Gabbard and the Democrats were there, of course, to celebrate and renominate Hawaii-raised President Barack Obama, who in 2004, as a young candidate for U.S. Senate, had given the rousing DNC speech that put him on the path to the White House.

In 2016, Gabbard was back at the DNC podium. This time she wasn’t there to lend her voice to the party’s choice, Hillary Clinton; instead, she was there to formally nominate Clinton’s primary rival, Bernie Sanders.

And now she has kicked off her own bid to stand at that podium in 2020 as the Democrats’ pick to face off against President Donald Trump. At 37, she’ll be one of the youngest Democrats in the mix (Julian Castro, who’s also making a run, is 44), which might increase her appeal to young, motivated voters.

Gabbard sat down with Glamour in New York prior to her formal announcement, which is scheduled for Saturday, January 19, and talked about what’s important to her, what’s not, and why she was considering getting into the race.

So, Who Is Tulsi Gabbard?

Why do this, and why now? “Ultimately, what this comes down to is having leaders in this country who are focused first and foremost on serving and fighting for the people in this country and fighting for our planet and fighting for peace,” she says. “This is what I'm focused on, and I'm seeing how can I best be of service to the people of this country.”

Does she think America is finally ready to elect a woman president? “I do. But I think more people are looking for a president who will be a servant leader, who will be a champion for them, regardless of gender or race or anything else. I supported Bernie Sanders in 2016, and the challenge that I heard from people, some in the media and just others, [was], ‘How dare you not support someone who could become the first woman president!’ And my response to them was, ‘I'm offended that you are assuming that I can only think as far as my gender.’ Substance matters. Leadership matters. Judgment matters,” Gabbard says. “Having a leader and a commander-in-chief who's able to have foresight and think through what the consequences are of the policies and the decisions that they're making—I think this is what is more at the forefront on people's minds as they consider who our next president should be than, Is it going to be a man or a woman?”