Former Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard has disclosed that she turned down an offer to be the running mate for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in his independent presidential bid. Gabbard, who left the Democratic Party in 2022, shared that despite becoming good friends with Kennedy and having met with him multiple times, she respectfully declined the offer without giving specific reasons.
Kennedy, who had been exploring various options for his running mate, including figures like former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura and TV host Mike Rowe, recently announced his selection of Silicon Valley lawyer Nicole Shanahan. This decision was influenced by Shanahan’s younger age and her work in health and artificial intelligence.
While Gabbard’s statement has not been directly addressed by Kennedy or his campaign, a source close to him confirmed that there were indeed meetings but it didn’t work out. The source praised Gabbard, referring to her as a “rock star” regardless of the outcome, and mentioned that Kennedy’s team had considered several individuals for the role.
Notably, some allies of former President Donald Trump had also suggested Gabbard as a potential vice-presidential pick, highlighting her political standing and influence.
Gabbard’s journey in politics includes an unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2019, followed by her departure from the party three years later. In her upcoming book titled “For Love of Country: Leave the Democrat Party Behind,” she is expected to delve into the reasons behind her departure and her criticisms of the Democratic Party.
In her departure announcement, Gabbard had criticized what she termed as “warmongers” in the party, accusing them of being driven by “cowardly wokeness” and dividing the nation by racializing every issue. She had also clashed with the party’s mainstream on issues such as Florida’s ban on LGBTQ+ topics in public school classrooms.
Gabbard, who made history during her 2019 White House run by becoming the first woman of color since 1972 to secure a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, has a military background as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves. She had been deployed twice to Iraq and Kuwait and took a two-week absence from the presidential campaign trail in 2020 to fulfill her active duty in Indonesia with the Hawaiian Army National Guard.
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