Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) on Tuesday criticized former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for saying "no one likes" Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), with Gabbard seeking to defend her fellow Democratic presidential hopeful.

"It's time to grow up. This isn't high school," Gabbard said in an interview with WMUR News 9. "We're talking about real challenges that our country needs to address and the need for real leadership to focus on them, not on what's going on in Washington and the schoolyard cliques or whatever else it may be."

Gabbard, who like Sanders is seeking her party's 2020 presidential nomination, is polling near the bottom of the Democratic pack. She previously served as a surrogate for Sanders's 2016 campaign when he challenged Clinton for the party's nomination.

Sanders and Gabbard have maintained a cordial relationship during the presidential primary, with the Hawaii Democrat on Tuesday using the #ILikeBernie hashtag that trended on Twitter to defend Sanders in the wake of Clinton's criticism.

Clinton and Gabbard formerly clashed when Clinton suggested the congresswoman was being groomed by Republicans to mount a third-party candidacy.

Gabbard, who is not seeking reelection to her House seat, has said she will not run as a third-party candidate.