At a fundraising event Sunday in Vancouver, Gabbard says she left the Democratic party because she feels that the party does not have the best interest of Americans in mind

Leah Anaya
For Clark CountyToday

Former Democratic Congresswoman and Presidential Candidate Tulsi Gabbard spent the past two days in Southwest Washington speaking on behalf of Joe Kent, the Republican Congressional nominee for the Third Congressional District. Gabbard traveled with Kent to a fundraising event in Vancouver Sunday before participating in town halls with Kent in Bucoda (Thurston County) and Kelso (Cowlitz County), and she also attended another town hall with Kent in Vancouver on Monday evening. 

Gabbard recently announced her departure from the Democratic Party, citing her belief that the party is “now under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness.” She has also recently announced her endorsement of Kent and told his campaign that she wanted to come to the area and “fill the calendar” with events to get more support for Kent, saying that she believes in his leadership and wants to help him get elected.  

On Sunday afternoon, supporters gathered at the RV Inn Style Convention Center to hear the two speak. Kent spoke first, discussing a wide array of issues affecting the country as a whole, but Clark County in particular. 

“Crime is out of control,” Kent stated, adding that a wide-open southern border combined with one of Washington’s newest laws overruling part of the three strikes law leaves little room for improvement over the situation. He discussed Roy Russell, who murdered 14-year-old Chelsea Harrison in 2005, and explained how he is set to get out of prison in November thanks to a partisan bill, SB 5164, which requires resentencing for three-strikes inmates where one of their strikes was robbery in the second degree (due to alleged racial and economic disparity).  

“Open borders, open prisons” has been Democrat policy on crime, Kent said. “You can’t name one Democratic politician or candidate who stands against these things,” he continued, “including my opponent.” Gabbard agreed, adding that that’s one reason she left the Democratic Party. 

Gabbard said she decided to support Kent because she “believe[s] in Joe Kent’s leadership, and now is not a time for cowards in Washington [D.C.].” Another reason she is no longer a Democrat, she said, is because she feels that party does not have the best interest of Americans in mind when they set their policy. 

“It’s not only about us and our freedoms at stake, but our kids. And their ability to be kids. Their ability to grow up and thrive in this land of the free and home of the brave…Freedoms are very, very, very hard to get back once they’ve been lost,’’ Gabbard said. 

“I want to make sure that our future is one that is peaceful, prosperous, and free,” she continued. “I’m so excited to come here and show my support for Joe because now is the time for us to come together as Americans. Now is the time for leaders to lead. We don’t have leaders in Washington [DC] right now … Sometimes leading means you’ve got to tell the truth, which is not always nice to hear.” 

Gabbard said that she believes Kent will be a truth-telling leader. She also encouraged people from both parties and Independents to think about the future of the country and rally behind Kent. 

“Put all the party labels aside, because it’s all crap when it comes right down to it,” she said. “What matters is who we are as Americans. The future of our country is literally on the line. Our freedom is on the line.” 

Gabbard told the crowd what she has learned about Joe Kent since getting to know him this year. “The reason I’m so confident that Joe will not fall for any [bribing or bullying into voting exclusively party line and not hearing from his district before voting on something] is because more than most, Joe understands how short life is, he understands what’s most important in life. And no matter what kind of trinkets [or bribes] are waved in front of his face, he will not be distracted from fulfilling that mission. With what he’s done throughout his life [20-plus years of military service], my feeling is that his going to Washington [DC] will be kind of like a deployment for him.” Kent jumped in to say that yes, his Congressional run is a continuation of his service to his country.  

“I just want to add one thing,” Gabbard said, explaining that most people “in uniform” with Kent’s background don’t like attention, don’t like being in front of the camera or speaking in front of people. “The fact that Joe is even doing this,” Gabbard said, “is a sacrifice in and of itself. It’s not something that he has had ambitions for. But he’s doing it to serve a higher mission and a greater purpose.” 

Following the event, Clark County Today was able to speak exclusively with Gabbard. When asked why she supported Joe Kent as she does, and why this race was so important, she responded, “First and foremost, it’s because of who Joe Kent is. He is a patriot who has literally dedicated his life in service to our country, and he has shown how he’s committed to continuing that service, exercising that same bravery and courage that he has on various battlefields overseas fighting against threats to America. He is fulfilling the oath that he took to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic by choosing to put himself forward for Congress. We need leaders like Joe Kent.” 

Clark County Today recently reported that the Marie Gluesenkamp Perez campaign had raised more than $2 million since the August primary election, which they stated was a three-to-one advantage over Kent. When asked to consider why there has been so much money thrown at Kent’s Democratic opponent in this race, she said she thinks it’s because Democrats try to “pick and choose” who is running. 

“It’s no different than what they’ve done in Democratic primaries where they throw tons of money at who they want to win, and basically they are interfering with the election. They are trying to spread lies about one candidate or another in order to achieve their objective, and ultimately, they choose who they want voters to hear from, and everyone else they either silence or smear. They are interfering in our elections, rather than giving voters a fair opportunity to make their own decision.”  

Gabbard said if she could say one thing to Kent supporters, she would tell them, “We only have a few days left to work hard, to make sure that our friends, neighbors, and family know what he’s about, so we need to encourage them to cast their vote for him. If you’re unsure, don’t believe what you’re hearing in the commercials and in mainstream media- go look him up and listen to what he’s saying and you’ll see what I’ve seen, which is a guy who is fighting for us.”