Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) said March 19 that she is suspending her campaign to become the Democratic nominee for president and has endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden as the nominee.
The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) member and Hawaii Army National Guard officer first announced her candidacy in January 2019. She first shared her decision to bow out of the race in a Thursday email to supporters.
“I feel that the best way I can be of service at this time is to continue to work for the health and wellbeing of the people of Hawaii and our country in Congress, and to stand ready to serve in uniform should the Hawaii National Guard be activated,” she said.
Gabbard, 38, was elected to Congress in 2012 and has served on the HASC readiness and emerging threats and capabilities subcommittees, as well as the House Foreign Committee subcommittees on Asia and the Pacific as well as the Middle East and North Africa. She announced in October 2019 that she would not seek re-election as a House member in 2020 if she did not win the presidential nomination.
She ends her campaign having raised over $13.5 million and with over $2 million in cash on hand as of Jan. 31, according to the non-profit Center for Responsive Politics.