Tulsi Gabbard Said She Turned Down Offer To Be RFK Jr.’s VP
Tulsi Gabbard once ran for president as a Democrat, a move that put her on the national map politically.
Now sheâs since left her old party and there were reports that the independent-minded Gabbard could join the most popular Independent presidential candidate currently running, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Now Gabbard says the offer was extended, but she turned it down.
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Tulsi Gabbard: âI Respectfully Declinedâ
According to the New York Post, âGabbard, 42, who left the Democrat Party in 2022 not long after her unsuccessful presidential bid, did not elaborate on why she opted against taking the opportunity.â
âI met with Kennedy several times, and we have become good friends,â Gabbard told ABC News.
The story continues:
âHe asked if I would be his running mate. After careful consideration, I respectfully declined.â
Her name had been tossed around his veepstakes rumor mill for months as a potential contender, alongside former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers and others.
Ultimately, the Kennedy scion went with a largely unknown individual â Silicon Valley lawyer Nicole Shanahan, 38, who had been a major backer of his presidential bid.
Shanahan is the ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, the 10th-richest person on the Bloomberg Billionaire Index. She bankrolled a controversial Super Bowl ad for Kennedy earlier this year.
Like Gabbard, Kennedy first ran for president as a Democrat in this cycle, but it quickly became clear that the Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee werenât having it. They wouldnât allow Kennedy or his fellow Democratic White House candidate Marianne Williamson to debate Biden or even allow the traditional selection process.
Even though Kennedy was getting double digits in some polls.
Biden would be the 2024 Democratic nominee. Period.
So Kennedy switched his party affiliation to Independent in October.
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Kennedy Campaign Acknowledges That Talks Happened
According to a source close to Team Kennedy, it was confirmed that âThere were definitely meetings, but it didnât work out.â
âWe talked to a bunch of people,â that source continued. âTulsiâs a rock star no matter what.â
Yes, she is. And the former House member who now rails against âwarmongersâ in both parties isnât going away anytime soon.