By Maria Curi
Iowa Rep. Dave Loebsack kicked off his re-election move Sunday alongside special guest Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, at his Brews and BBQ fundraiser.
Loebsack’s tone was optimistic yet urgent. “There’s no guarantee that Democrats will do well on the ticket in Iowa,” he said, “I usually like to talk in terms of hope, but we have to know what were up against.”
The 63-year-old was referring to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Iowa Republicans who have “fully embraced” the former reality TV star.
He specifically mentioned Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, whose son, Eric Branstad, is serving as the Iowa state director for Trump.
Branstad says he did not provide much influence in his son’s decision to run Trump’s campaign in Iowa, but the governor has endorsed Trump.
In his effort to rally Democrats, Loebsack invited Gabbard and noted the congresswoman’s accomplishments.
At the time, Gabbard was the youngest woman in the United States to be elected to a state legislature, serving in the Hawaii House of Representatives from 2002 to 2004. She volunteered in the U.S. Army twice and served in Iraq in 2006 and in 2009. In 2013, the 35-year-old was elected to the U.S House of Representatives.
There, she became friends with Loebsack, who praised Gabbard’s foreign-policy knowledge at the Celebration Farm near Iowa City.
“We don’t think long and hard when we send troops abroad and engage in conflicts that are not justified; we don’t think long and hard about taking care of our veterans when they come home,” Loebsack said. “Well, Congresswoman Gabbard knows about our relationship with the rest of the world, and she is one of the most thoughtful members in Congress.”
Gabbard serves on the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees and is also a military police officer with the Hawaii Army National Guard.
Because of her firsthand experiences in war zones, the decorated congresswoman has endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders and praises his foreign policy. In an ad titled “The Cost of War”, Gabbard applauded Sanders’ vote against the Iraq War and called to an end to interventionist policy and unjustified wars.
Gabbard also pointed to the prioritization of war over domestic issues such as education, infrastructure, and health care.
“Trillions of dollars are spent on wars, and we end up not having resources to invest in our communities right here at home”, she said.
During Loebsack’s event, Debbie Wasserman Shultz announced her resignation as chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee after 19,000 hacked emails were publicized on WikiLeaks, suggesting the Democratic National Committee favored Hillary Clinton in the primary.
In February, Gabbard resigned as the Democratic National Committee vice chairwoman after disagreeing with Wasserman Schultz over how many debates should be held during the party’s primary season.
Gabbard advocated for more debates, arguing that they would strengthen the democratic process. Creating a more inclusive democracy is a major priority for her.
In an interview with The Daily Iowan, Gabbard stressed the importance of inclusive voting rights and the end to superdelegates.
“My push throughout the last several months has been to get rid of superdelegates so there is a more transparent process that accurately represents the votes of the people rather than allowing a small number of appointed lobbyists and elected officials to determine the outcome of the presidential election,” she said.
Loebsack said although he’s unfamiliar with the specifics, he’s “totally open on reform.”
Neither Loebsack nor Gabbard had a comment on Wasserman Shultz’s resignation.