Tulsi Gabbard, a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the state of Hawaii, has announced that she is leaving the Democrat party.

Gabbard is an officer with the United States Army Reserve. She served as a representative for Hawaii’s 2nd congressional district from 2013 to 2021 and was a candidate for the Democrat nomination in the 2020 United States presidential election.

“I can no longer remain in today’s Democratic Party,” Gabbard began in her announcement on October 11.

She then systematically touched on various issues that have compelled her to leave the party, including, according to Gabbard, its excessive focus on race, hostility to faith, a belief in open borders and the “weaponization of the national security state to go after political opponents.”

“I believe in a government that is of the people, by the people, and for the people. Unfortunately, today’s Democratic Party does not. Instead, it stands for a government of, by, and for the powerful elite,” Gabbard said.

“I’m calling on my fellow common sense independent-minded Democrats to join me in leaving the Democratic Party. If you can no longer stomach the direction that so-called woke Democratic Party ideologues are taking our country, I invite you to join me.”

You can watch her full 28-minute-long address here:

In recent years, Gabbard had taken increasingly conservative positions, particularly on social issues.

Before leaving Congress, Gabbard introduced two bills in the House that didn’t fit squarely within the party line.

She introduced one bill in 2020 to ensure that abortionists must provide babies who survive a failed abortion attempt with life-saving medical care. The former Congresswoman also introduced a “Protect Women’s Sports Act,” which would prohibit biological males from participating in women’s sports.

In 2021, Gabbard spoke up in defense of parental rights in education.

“Concerned parents are the latest targets of the establishment. This is a bigger problem than Democrats or Republicans. This is about the establishment elite trying to hold on to their power and continue to increase it,” she said. “You’re either a part of their team or you’re not. And if you’re not … they will target you, censor you, demonize you and call you a domestic terrorist and sic the attorney general on you.”

Additionally, Gabbard has warned about the enormous power wielded by big tech companies. “This is such a dangerous situation … a lot more people are starting to become really aware of how much power these big tech corporations have been building,” she said in an interview last year.

Former President Ronald Reagan, himself a former Democrat who went on to be a two-term Republican president, once famously said, “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party left me.”

Now, the Democrat party has left Tulsi Gabbard behind as well.

Photo from Shutterstock.