This is the fifth article of our “On the Stage” series, where the goal is to get to know each and every single candidate vying for the chance to take on President Donald J. Trump in the 2020 election as the Democratic nominee. As the first of the Democratic debates approach, we try to understand each of the candidates and their campaigns better.
Who is Tulsi Gabbard?
Tulsi Gabbard is the current four-term representative of the state of Hawaii’s 2nd congressional district. She is an American-Samoan and also the first Hindu to serve in the House of Representatives. She saw time in Iraq as a soldier, and attributes her foreign policy views to this period. Before her career in national politics, he was the youngest legislator to be elected to the Hawaii state legislature at 21 years old.
How is Rep. Gabbard doing in the polls?
RealClearPolitics currently has Tulsi Gabbard tied for the 16th to 20th spots in the race, having a polling average of 0.3 percent along with Congressmen Eric Swalwell and John Delaney, author Marianne Williamson, and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. In all the statewide polls on record, Gabbard only has not seen numbers in California and Texas. In the early primary states of Iowa and New Hampshire, Gabbard is at the 11th and 10th places with 0.8 percent and 0.5 percent averages to date. In Nevada, she is tied for 9th with 1.5 percent, while at South Carolina, she has the 10th highest numbers with 1 percent. Her best status is currently in Massachusetts, where she is tied for eighth, also with 1 percent.
What are the key ideas of the Gabbard campaign?
On climate change. Tulsi Gabbard is massively progressive on climate change. She calls for a complete ban on hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” to extract oil and gas. In 2017, she proposed the Off Fossil Fuels for a Better Future Act to radically transition the United States to 100 percent dependence on renewable energy by 2035. Gabbard has been comparatively more moderate as of late, and instead advocates for eliminating fossil fuel usage by 2050.
On education. Rep. Gabbard has called for making public colleges tuition-free in all states, although only for citizens with family incomes below $125,000 annually. She proposes that these be funded by placing taxes on gains from trading stocks and bonds.
On healthcare. Gabbard is an advocate for Medicare for All and expanding funding for this by raising taxes on the top 5% of income earners, establishing a progressive excise and payroll tax system, and for imposing taxes on stocks and bonds and not just the gains from trading these. Unlike other proponents of Medicare for All, she does not intend to fully eliminate private insurance but will retain this as an option.
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