Yeah kids, this morning’s Honolulu Star-Advertiser is true: U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, one of the highest-ranking Democrats to back Bernie Sanders, now says she’ll vote for Hillary Clinton for president.
“This morning, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported that in an interview with Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, she announced she will be voting for Secretary Hillary Clinton in the upcoming presidential election,” Gabbard campaign spokesperson Erika Tsuji said in a news release. “I’ve received several inquiries asking for confirmation on this and for the complete statement from that interview.”
Here is Gabbard’s official statement on her new endorsement:
“I’m proud to have been a part of Bernie Sanders’ historic campaign, and was honored to place his name in nomination at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday. Now, given the remaining choices, I—like Bernie Sanders—will be casting my vote for Hillary Clinton. Moving forward, as a veteran and someone who knows firsthand the cost of war, I will continue to push for an end to counterproductive interventionist wars, and lead our country down a path toward peace.”
As late as the Democratic National Convention itself, Gabbard formally nominated Sanders for president. When CNN asked Gabbard in June about her switching her endorsement, Gabbard said the current U.S. military action in Syria was a big sticking point, according to the Star-Advertiser story.
“I am not prepared to do that,” she told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, according to the Star-Advertiser. “There are a lot of things that I’m looking at, in particular this issue that she has not moved on at all in this campaign, which is this commitment to continue this interventionist regime change policy in Syria that is proving to be so disastrous.”
Maui Democratic activist Shay Chan Hodges, who is challenging Gabbard in the Aug. 13 Hawaii state Primary, is also a former Sanders supporter, but she endorsed Clinton back on July 12.
Click here to read the Star-Advertiser story.
Photo courtesy Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s office
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