Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu lawmaker in the US Congress, is considering to run for the American presidency in 2020, according to sources close to her.
On Friday, at a Medtronic conference in Los Angeles, an eminent Indian-American Dr Sampat Shivangi introduced Gabbard, 37, and said that she could be the next president of the US in 2020.
The brief statement was marked by a standing ovation, in the presence of the four-term Congresswoman from Hawaii.
Gabbard, a Democrat, who addressed the gathering, however, neither confirmed or denied that she is running for president in 2020. A decision on this could be taken before Christmas, which might not necessarily result in a formal announcement as that could be delayed till the next year, people familiar with her thinking process told Press Trust of India.
However, it is said that she and her team has quietly been reaching out to prospective donors, including a large number of Indian Americans, and volunteers to build an impressive campaign for her 2020 run.
Given that Gabbard is highly popular among Indian-Americans, a constituency she has nurtured from the very beginning of her political carrier, it is but natural that her team has quietly started reaching out to this community, which is considered as the richest ethnic group after the Jewish Americans. And in many critical States, Indian Americans can play an important role in her electoral chances.
If Gabbard declares her presidential bid she would be the first Hindu candidate ever from a major political party to announce to enter the race for White House. And if elected in 2020, she could be the youngest ever and the first woman to be elected as the US president.
A Democrat, Gabbard last week was elected for the fourth term for the US House of Representatives. Notably, Dr Shivangi is a Republican and has been the party's delegate for the past several presidential conventions.
However, he had held fundraisers for Gabbard when she ran for the Congress for the first time in 2012. She was the first US lawmaker to take her oath on Bhagwat Gita. A former vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Gabbard currently serves on powerful House Armed Services Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee. She is also the Democratic Co-Chair of the Congressional India Caucus.
"She has been a fresh voice in the Democratic Party, with her support for US-India relations, her opposition to the war in Iraq, her opposition to arms sales to Saudi Arabia and her more recent vigorous opposition to among the rebels in Syria," Shivangi said.
The 2020 presidential primary cycle is scheduled to kick off from the Iowa Caucuses on February 3, 2020, followed by the New Hampshire Primary on February 11, Nevada caucus of February 15 and South Carolina on February 22.
(PTI)
Bob Blackman MP speaks during the event