CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Army National Guard Major and U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard visited the Lowcountry on Wednesday in preparation for the upcoming primary.
She spoke with News 2’s Raymond Owens about the race, and why her campaign is struggling to gain traction.
Gabbard said that she was happy to be here in S.C., to bring her message directly to the voters. She cited things like rural healthcare, pay raises for teachers, and clean water as pressing needs here and around the country.
Gabbard emphasized her belief that more funding should be put towards those needs, and posed an interesting question to S.C. voters:
“Do you want to continue to see your taxpayer dollars going to pay for wasteful regime change wars this new Cold War new arms race none of which have made us any safer or do you want to have your taxpayer dollars actually going to serving the needs of your loved ones, your community here at home?”
We asked Gabbard what her path forward is, despite only earning 3% of the vote in Iowa.
She acknowledged that she is at a disadvantage, due to what she describes as “almost a total corporate media blackout for at least the last month.”
Additionally, she cited comments made by Hillary Clinton implying Gabbard may be an agent of Russia, as detriments to her campaign. She has since filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against Clinton. Gabbard said that Clinton made the comments “without any kind of base or evidence.”
Gabbard feels that reaching out to voters directly is her best plan moving forward.
She says that if she wins the Democratic nomination, she plans to “build a coalition of support from democrats, republicans, and independents…not only to win in November, but to move our country forward together.”
The S.C. Primary takes place on February 29.