The news last week that former presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard was leaving the Democratic Party might not have seemed at first like a very big deal. Gabbard, after all, didn’t seek re-election to her House seat in 2020 and hadn’t played a role in party politics since her failed presidential bid. But her announcement highlights an important and growing gulf between Democrats and Republicans — and helps explain why Republicans, who may well have majorities in both chambers of Congress in January, have become a threat to democracy.
Gabbard, who represented Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District, at one point had the voting record of a mainstream Democrat, albeit with a tendency toward fringe views. She served a term as vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, was a strong Bernie Sanders supporter in 2016, and when she ran for president in 2020, she was included in the debates despite being a fierce critic of some Democratic policy positions.
She was still enough of a Democrat to endorse Joe Biden against Donald Trump. But she became a frequent guest on Fox News programs and used her appearances to criticize Biden and the Democrats. She finally made her break with the party official last week.
