Newt Gingrich reacts to Tulsi Gabbard leaving Democratic Party: 'Independent maverick'
Fox News contributor Newt Gingrich joined 'Fox & Friends' to discuss Gabbard's announcement ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.
Former Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard announced she left the Democratic Party on Tuesday, denouncing the organization as an "elitist cabal."
Gabbard, who retired from the House of Representatives in 2021, attacked the institution in a nearly 30-minute video posted to her YouTube account. She did not announce plans to join the Republican Party or adopt any other political affiliation, however.
"I can no longer remain in today’s Democratic Party that is now under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness, who divide us by racializing every issue & stoke anti-white racism," Gabbard said in an excerpt posted to Twitter.
She went on to call on other moderate Democrats to follow in her footsteps.
TULSI GABBARD: US FACES ‘DOMESTIC THREAT TO OUR DEMOCRACY’ FROM THE POWERFUL
Tulsi Gabbard, former representative from Hawaii, speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, on Feb. 25, 2022. (Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
FORMER REP TULSI GABBARD REVEALS SOME DEMOCRATS' 'DANGEROUS MINDSET,' COMPARES IT TO DICTATORS'
"I believe in a government that is of the people, by the people and for the people. Unfortunately, today's Democratic Party does not. Instead, it stands for a government that is of, by and for the powerful elite," she continued. "I'm calling on my fellow common sense, independent-minded Democrats to join me in leaving the Democratic Party."
Gabbard's announcement served as the inaugural episode of "The Tusli Gabbard Show," a podcast she is now running.
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard listens during a Democratic presidential primary debate hosted by CNN/New York Times at Otterbein University on Oct. 15 in Westerville, Ohio. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Gabbard has grown increasingly estranged from the Democratic establishment since her failed candidacy in the 2020 presidential primary. She has also become a vocal critic of President Biden, denouncing him for "pouring fuel on the flames" of division in the country.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich praised Tulsi for ditching the Democrats in a Tuesday statement on Fox News. He argued that she is one of many Americans who traditionally have voted blue but now find the Democrats unrecognizable.
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[Gabbard] has always been sort of an independent maverick," Gingrich said. "And I think when she ran for president, she realized how really isolated she was from the great majority of the Democratic Party, which is now, frankly, a pretty weird party….I think you're seeing this drift. And we've certainly seen among Latinos a huge drift towards the Republican Party as they're driven away by the weirder policies of the Democratic Party."
This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.
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