Highlights
Tulsi Gabbard made waves in the world of American politics during the 2024 presidential election after her own candidacy in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries. Her selection by President-elect Donald Trump for the role of National Intelligence Director is bringing increased attention to the career of the former Congresswoman from Hawaii. Throughout her concurrent time in uniform and public office, Gabbard has broken one glass ceiling after another.
Born in American Samoa, Gabbard’s family moved to Hawaii when she was 2 years old. There, she took up surfing, martial arts, yoga, and practiced Hinduism. In 2002, Gabbard dropped out of community college and ran for the 42nd District of the Hawaii House of Representatives. After winning 42% of the vote in the Democratic primary, she won the general election with 60.7% and became the youngest elected legislator in the state’s history.
In April 2003, Gabbard enlisted in the Hawaii Army National Guard. The next year, although she filed to run for reelection, Gabbard volunteered for a 12-month deployment to Iraq with the Medical Company, 29th Support Battalion, 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. Pulling out of the race, Gabbard became the first state official to voluntarily step down from public office to serve in a war zone according to the DOD. In Iraq, Gabbard served with Charlie Med at the Anaconda Logistical Support Area in Baghdad and earned the Combat Medical Badge.
In March 2007, Gabbard graduated at the top of her class from the Accelerated Officer Candidate School at the Alabama Military Academy, the first woman to ever do so. She earned a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant and returned to the 29th IBCT as a Military Police officer. Gabbard volunteered for a second Middle East deployment in 2008 and served in Kuwait until 2009. There, she was the first woman to enter a Kuwaiti military facility and the first woman to receive an award of appreciation from the Kuwaiti military. In 2009, Gabbard also graduated from Hawaii Pacific University with a degree in Business Administration.
Gabbard returned to politics in 2011 after winning a seat on the Honolulu City Council. She resigned on August 16, 2012, to focus on her campaign for Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. At the invitation of then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who called her “an emerging star,” Gabbard spoke at the 2012 Democratic National Convention. She won her election with 80.7% of the vote and became the first voting Samoan-American and first Hindu Member of Congress.
Gabbard continued to serve in the Hawaii National Guard and was promoted to Major on October 12, 2015. In 2019, she announced that she would not run for a fifth term in Congress to focus on her presidential campaign, becoming the first female combat veteran to run for the office. The next year, on March 19, Gabbard dropped out of the race. In June 2020, Gabbard also left the National Guard and transferred to the Army Reserve. She was assigned to a California-based unit in the United States Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne) and promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on July 4, 2021. As a Civil Affairs officer, Gabbard deployed to the Horn of Africa in support of a Special Operations mission.
Still a member of the Army Reserve, Gabbard left the Democratic Party in 2022 and joined the Republican Party in 2024. On November 13, 2024, Trump announced his nomination for Gabbard to serve as Director of National Intelligence. Her confirmation is dependent on a hearing by the Senate Intelligence Committee and a vote by the upper chamber of Congress.
In addition to the CMB, Gabbard also earned the Meritorious Service Medal and a gold German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency. Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government awarded Gabbard the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award for her efforts on behalf of veterans in 2013. Two years later, Gabbard received the County Alumni Award from the National Association of Counties and the Friend of the National Parks Award from the National Parks Conservation Association. In 2018, she was named the distinguished alumni by her alma mater and received the Ho’ola Na Pua Award for her work on behalf of human trafficking survivors in Hawaii.