Tulsi Gabbard won't quit race, says she is 'still very focused on being the Democratic nominee'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, criticized the Democratic National Committee Wednesday, saying the DNC's recent rule change that will allow billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to participate in the Nevada Democratic primary debate is "wrong.
Speaking with Fox News Radio's Jessica Rosenthal on the "Fox News Rundown" podcast, the 2020 presidential candidate said the fact that a billionaire like Bloomberg could enter the race with the ability to change DNC rules to benefit his candidacy does a disservice to the American electorate.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It's wrong, and it's voters in these primaries and caucuses that that are unfortunately losing out because of the DNC decisions in Washington," she said.
"It's clear that the DNC would rather hear from Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire, rather than hearing from me -- the only person of color left in this race, the first female combat veteran ever to run for president, and the voice that I bring from so many Americans that really challenges the establishment of the powerful elite."
Despite the long odds against Gabbard, made longer by a seventh-place finish in the New Hampshire primary, she insisted that she is "still very focused on being the Democratic nominee."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"If that is not the case, then I will stand behind the Democratic nominee," she added.
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When asked by Rosenthal whether the bitter primary campaign will mortally wound the Democrats' chances of unseating Trump in November, Gabbard responded: "I think that by and large, Democrats will coalesce around an eventual nominee."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I'm still very focused on being the Democratic nominee. If that is not the case, then I will stand behind the Democratic nominee."
"... The bigger thing that I'm more concerned about is that in this election and in the day to day in Washington, the hyperpartisanship is really, really tearing our country apart ... [and] this change that I'm seeking to bring about is something bigger than just Democrats versus Republicans," Gabbard continued.
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"There's there's a deeper frustration that voters have that leaders in Washington are of, by and for the powerful elite rather than of, by and for the people."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Gabbard avoided the question of whether she would support a nominee like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who openly espouses socialist principles, saying that she rejected the "labels" that she said only serve to "further divide us."
When pressed whether she would accept a cabinet position in President Trump's administration in the event that he wins reelection, Gabbard gave a straightforward answer: "No."
"I'm very focused on winning this election. And ... I heard from people ... who are libertarians ... Republicans and Democrats coming together and saying, 'Tulsi, you have my support because this is about putting country first,'" she said.
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"And when you think about the candidate who can beat Donald Trump, that has to be a candidate who can attract support from across party lines. Just getting support from Democrats will not be enough. And this is why I am confident in my ability to win in November, to beat Trump, unify our country, heal these divides so that we can together move forward as a nation."
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