Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has dropped out of the Democratic presidential primary and endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden.
Gabbard, the only remaining woman in the race, released a video announcing the suspension of her campaign and her endorsement on Thursday (March 19).
“Throughout my life and throughout this campaign, my motivation has been to serve God, our country, and the American people as best I can,” she said. “It’s clear the Democratic primary voters have chosen Vice President Joe Biden to be the person who will take on President Trump in the general election. I know that [Biden] has a good heart and that he’s motivated by his love for our country.”
https://twitter.com/TulsiGabbard/status/1240650484546859008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1240650484546859008&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lgbtqnation.com%2F2020%2F03%2Ftulsi-gabbard-drops-primary-endorses-joe-biden%2F
“The best way that I can be of service at this time is to continue to work for the health and well-being 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 continued.
The Hawaiian representative struggled to gain traction in the primary, gaining only two delegates from the primary in American Samoa.
Gabbard has been a controversial candidate when it comes to her LGBTQ support. In January of last year, it was revealed that she worked for her father’s anti-gay organization, The Alliance for Traditional Marriage, in the early 2000s. She was an outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage during that time.
She issued an apology for her anti-LGBTQ past, saying that she “said and believed things that were wrong.”
Gabbard’s campaign suspension leaves only Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders in the race. Currently, Biden has 1,142 delegates, and Sanders has 824. 1,991 delegates are needed to win the nomination.