Will Tulsi Gabbard be Trump's challenger in 2020?

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Tulsi Gabbard, the Democratic Congresswoman from Hawaii and an Iraq war veteran, said on Friday that she would run for the 2020 U.S. presidential nomination.

"I have decided to run and will be making a formal announcement within the next week," Gabbard told CNN's Van Jones, the U.S. news network revealed on Friday evening. The interview will be aired on Saturday evening.

If she succeeds in her election bid, the 37-year-old lawmaker would be the youngest president in U.S. history. Gabbard was elected to the U.S. Congress in 2012, becoming its first Hindu and Samoan American member.

Known to be a keen surfer off the waters of her native Hawaii, she currently serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Gabbard enlisted in the Hawaii Army National Guard (HANG) in 2003 and was deployed to Iraq in 2004 and Kuwait in 2007. She continues to maintain her role as a HANG member.

U.S. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard is a keen surfer and routinely seen surfing off the waters of her native Hawaii. /Photo via Tulsi Gabbard

Tulsi Gabbards speaks in support of Bernie Sanders' presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 26, 2016. /VCG Photo

Gabbard enlisted in the Hawaii Army National Guard in 2003 and remains a member of the force even today. She has served as a veteran in Iraq and Kuwait. /Photo via Tulsi Gabbard

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Gabbard resigned as vice chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), after endorsing Bernie Sanders for president. Sanders eventually lost the Democratic nomination to Hillary Clinton, who went on to lose the election to Donald Trump.

In her interview to CNN, Gabbard stated that her concern for issues such as healthcare access, criminal justice reform, and climate change were the main reasons for her decision to run in 2020. "There are a lot of challenges that are facing the American people that I'm concerned about and that I want to help solve," she said.

However, the Iraq war veteran, known for her antiwar political position, still counted the issue of "war and peace" as her key agenda, promising she would talk about it in depth at her formal announcement.

Sanders' deputy campaign manager Rania Batrice, who is now a top aide to the Hawaii congresswoman, will be Gabbard's campaign manager in 2020, according to media reports.

'Antiwar veteran'

U.S. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (C) with Syrian women in Aleppo, January 2017. /Photo via ronpaulforums.com

In her public statements, Gabbard has rejected the American interventionist policy across the world, creating a distinct "antiwar" image for herself.

Gabbard made headlines in January 2017, when she secretly traveled to Syria on a fact-finding mission and met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, drawing heavy criticism from the U.S. establishment. That trip saw her visit to war-torn historic cities of Damascus and Aleppo, where she met with refugees and Syrian opposition leaders.

"Originally, I had no intention of meeting with Assad, but when given the opportunity, I felt it was important to take it," Gabbard said once the trip became public. "I think we should be ready to meet with anyone if there's a chance it can help bring about an end to this war, which is causing the Syrian people so much suffering."

After returning from Syria, Gabbard proposed a bill to outlaw U.S. weapons sales to terrorists.

Earlier in 2016 when Trump was still a president-elect and was in the process of finalizing his cabinet, Gabbard was rumored to be a potential candidate to head the State Department due to her antiwar image. She even met the then president-elect at Trump Tower in November 2016, but it didn't lead to the speculated outcome.

Last year, she opposed the U.S. decision to sell arms worth 1.15 billion U.S. dollars to Saudi Arabia, which is involved in wars in Yemen and Syria. "The U.S. must stop arming Saudi Arabia, stop fueling this fire and hold Saudi Arabia accountable for their actions," Gabbard told The Hill newspaper.

'China ties increasingly critical'

U.S. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (L) with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during a visit to Beijing, China, April 24, 2014. /Photo via Tulsi Gabbard.

Gabbard meets U.S. Marines at the American embassy in Beijing, April 24, 2014.

Gabbard during her meeting with deputies of the National People's Congress in Beijing, April 24, 2014.

In April 2014, Gabbard visited China as part of a bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation and held meetings with top Chinese officials including Premier Li Keqiang, National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee Chairman Zhang Dejiang, and Vice Chairman Ji Bingxuan.

"Our relationship with China has become increasingly critical over the past two decades of economic growth, opening new doors for U.S.-China business, tourism, and educational exchange opportunities… We must continue cutting the red tape for Chinese visitors, many of whom make up the country's growing middle class," Gabbard stated in her report after the visit.

"I believe we have much to gain by welcoming more Chinese tourists in Hawaii and across the U.S.," she added

High-profile race

Clockwise from top left: Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Bernie Sanders, former housing secretary Julian Castro, and former vice president Joe Biden. /VCG Photo

Gabbard first prompted speculations of a 2020 run last month, when she toured Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two states to host nationwide party primary elections.

Her confirmation for the presidential bid comes as inspired by the party's strong showing in the November midterms, a number of high-profile Democrats are reportedly queueing up to challenge Trump in 2020.

Senator Elizabeth Warren has formed an exploratory committee for a presidential bid, and last week visited the early voting state of Iowa.

Julian Castro, a former mayor of San Antonio who served in Barack Obama's cabinet as housing secretary, has also toured Iowa and is expected to announce his candidacy later on Saturday.

Sanders, whose bid Gabbard supported in 2016, is reportedly planning to throw his hat in the race and so is former vice president Joe Biden.

(Cover: U.S Congresswoman from Hawaii, Tulsi Gabbard, at a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony in Emancipation Hall to honor Filipino veterans of WWII, in Hawaii, U.S., October 25, 2017. /VCG Photo)