Tulsi Gabbard Tulsi Gabbard ( born April 12 , 1981 ) is an American politician who has been the United States Representative for Hawaii ' s second congressional district since 2013 . She is also a Vice - Chair of the Democratic National Committee . She is the first American Samoan , the first Hindu member , and , along with Tammy Duckworth , one of the first female combat veterans in the United States Congress . Gabbard previously served on the Honolulu City Council and in the Hawaii House of Representatives ; she was the youngest woman in the United States to be elected to a state legislature . She is currently a Military Police Company Commander with the Hawaii Army National Guard , and has served on two deployments to the Middle East . Early life and education . Tulsi Gabbard was born in Leloaloa , American Samoa , the fourth of five children of Mike Gabbard and Carol Porter Gabbard . Her family moved to Hawaii in 1983 when Tulsi was two . Tulsi grew up in a multicultural , multi - religious household . Her father is of Samoan / European heritage and is a practicing Catholic who is a lector at his church , but also enjoys practicing mantra meditation , including kirtan . Her mother is white and a practicing Hindu . Tulsi fully embraced Hinduism as a teenager . The Gabbard family homeschooled Tulsi through high school , except for two years she attended a girls - only missionary academy in the Philippines . Gabbard graduated from Hawaii Pacific University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree in international business in 2009 . Hawaii House of Representatives ( 2002 – 2004 ) . Elections . In 2002 , after a redistricting , Gabbard ( as Gabbard Tamayo ) ran for Hawaii ' s 42nd House District of the Hawaii House of Representatives . In a four - candidate Democratic primary , she won with a plurality of 48 % . She defeated Rida Cabanilla ( 30 % ) , Dolfo Ramos ( 18 % ) , and Gerald Vidal ( 4 % ) . Gabbard Tamayo won the general election , defeating Republican Alfonso Jimenez 65 % – 35 % . In 2004 , Gabbard Tamayo filed for re - election , but then volunteered for National Guard service in Iraq . Cabanilla , who filed for a rematch , called on the incumbent to resign , because she would not be able to represent her district from Iraq . Gabbard Tamayo thus decided not to campaign for a second term . Cabanilla defeated Gabbard Tamayo in the Democratic primary 64 % – 25 % . Tenure . In 2002 , at the age of 21 , Gabbard Tamayo became the youngest legislator ever elected in the history of Hawaii and the youngest woman elected to state office in the nation . She represented the Oahu 42nd District , which covers Waipahu , Honouliuli , and Ewa Beach . She played a key role , along with her Ewa colleagues , in securing funding for infrastructure on the Ewa Plains . She opposed LGBT rights , including same - sex marriage and civil unions . When voting against legalizing civil unions , she stated : " To try to act as if there is a difference between ' civil unions ' and same - sex marriage is dishonest , cowardly and extremely disrespectful to the people of Hawaii who have already made overwhelmingly clear our position on this issue . . . As Democrats we should be representing the views of the people , not a small number of homosexual extremists . " In August 2004 , she defended her then - Republican father ' s anti - LGBT work , and called supporters of U . S . Congressman Ed Case " homosexual extremists . " Military service ( 2004 – present ) . In April 2003 , while serving in office , Gabbard Tamayo enlisted in the Hawaii Army National Guard . She received several distinguished honor graduate titles and awards at Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training . In July 2004 , Gabbard Tamayo asked to deploy with her Hawaii National Guard unit , volunteering for a 12 - month combat tour in Iraq , where she served in a field medical unit as a specialist with a 29th Support Battalion medical company . She learned that she would not be able to serve with her unit and perform her duties as a legislator , and thus chose not to campaign for a second term in office . Gabbard served at Logistical Support Area Anaconda in Iraq . While on a rest - and - relaxation tour in August 2005 , she presented Hawaii ' s condolences to the government of London regarding the 7 / 7 terrorist attacks . She was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal at the end of this tour . Upon her return from Iraq in 2006 , Gabbard Tamayo began serving as a legislative aide for U . S . Senator Daniel K . Akaka in Washington , DC . She was responsible for issues involving veteran affairs , energy and natural resources , judiciary , and homeland security . She served as a surrogate speaker for Senator Akaka on many occasions , and built a grassroots network with the veteran community in Hawaii . While working for the Senator , Gabbard Tamayo graduated from the Accelerated Officer Candidate School at the Alabama Military Academy in March 2007 . She was the first woman to finish as the distinguished honor graduate in the Academy ’ s 50 - year history . She was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and assigned again to the 29th Brigade Special Troops Battalion of the Hawaii Army National Guard , this time to serve as the Military Police Platoon Leader . She continued to work for Senator Akaka until 2009 , when she again voluntarily deployed with her unit to the Middle East . During this second deployment , in addition to leading her platoon on a wide variety of security missions , she also conducted non - military host - nation visits and served as a primary trainer for the Kuwait National Guard . She was one of the first women to set foot inside a Kuwait military facility , and became the first woman to ever to be awarded and honored by the Kuwait National Guard for her work in their training and readiness program . In May 2010 , Gabbard Tamayo ( as Tulasi Tamayo ) was one of thirty finalists for a White House Fellowship and one of three finalists from Hawai ' i , although she was not selected as a Fellow . In June 2011 , Gabbard visited Indonesia as part of a peacekeeping training with the Indonesian Army . According to her official U . S . House of Representatives Full Biography , Representative Gabbard continues to serve as a Captain in the Hawai ' i National Guard . Honolulu City Council ( 2011 – 2012 ) . Elections . After returning home from her second deployment to the Middle East in 2009 , Gabbard Tamayo ran for a seat on the Honolulu City Council . Incumbent City Councilman Rod Tam , of the 6th district , decided to retire in order to run for Mayor of Honolulu . In a ten candidate nonpartisan open primary field in September 2010 , Gabbard Tamayo ranked first with 33 % of the vote . In the November 2 runoff election , she defeated Sesnita Moepono 58 % – 42 % to win the seat . Tenure . In her capacity as committee chair , Gabbard Tamayo took the lead on many issues such as medical waste , Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation ( APEC ) , dengue fever , and creating new economic opportunities through Honolulu ’ s first Sister City Summit . As a Council member , Gabbard Tamayo introduced a measure to help food truck vendors by loosening parking restrictions . She also introduced Bill 54 , a measure that authorized City workers to confiscate personal belongings stored on public property . The measure overcame opposition from the ACLU and Occupy Hawai ' i , and a potential conflict with Hawai ' i ' s constitutional law , Kānāwai Māmalahoe , which protects " those who sleep by the roadside " . Bill 54 passed and became City Ordinance 1129 . On April 30 , 2011 , the council member informed her constituents that she was resuming the use of her birth name , " Tulsi Gabbard , " and that there would be no cost to city taxpayers for reprinting City Council materials containing her name . Gabbard resigned her council seat on August 16 , 2012 , to focus on her congressional seat bid . United States House of Representatives ( 2013 – present ) . Election . In early 2011 , Mazie Hirono , the incumbent Congresswoman in Hawaii ' s second congressional district , announced that she would run for a U . S . Senate seat . Soon after that , in May 2011 , Gabbard announced her candidacy for the Congressional seat . Gabbard was endorsed by the Sierra Club , Emily ' s List , and VoteVets . org . The biggest name by far in the crowded six - way primary was Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann . However , Gabbard won the August 11 primary in a major upset , taking 55 percent of the vote . Hannemann finished second with only 34 percent . The " Honolulu Star - Advertiser " described her win as the " improbable rise from a distant underdog to victory " . She then announced on August 13 that she would resign her seat on the City Council , stating that she wanted to prevent the cost of a separate special election , and resigned on August 16 . As the Democratic nominee , Gabbard traveled to Charlotte , North Carolina and spoke at the 2012 Democratic National Convention . There , she credited grassroots support as the reason for her come - from - behind win in the primary . Gabbard won the general election on November 6 , 2012 by defeating Republican Kawika Crowley 81 % to 19 % . However , the 2nd is so heavily Democratic that she had effectively clinched the seat with her primary victory . In December 2012 , Gabbard applied to be considered for appointment to the Senate seat vacated by the death of Daniel Inouye , but despite support from prominent mainland Democrats , she was not among the three candidates selected by the Hawaii Democratic party . Non - profit organizations and associations . Gabbard co - founded Healthy Hawaii Coalition , an environmental educational group of which she is Vice President and Educational Programs Coordinator . She is a lifetime member of the National Guard Association of the United States and the Military Police Regimental Association . Gabbard was also a cofounder of the non - profit Stand Up For America , which she and and her father co - founded in the wake of the September 11 , 2001 attacks . SUFA ' s site profiled Gabbard and hosted letters from Gabbard sent during her deployments overseas . The Stand Up For America site came under criticism in September 2010 for promoting Gabbard ' s campaign for the Honolulu City Council . Gabbard said the improper addition " was an honest mistake from a volunteer " , and the problematic page and link were immediately removed . Political positions . Abortion and contraception . Gabbard is pro - choice and in favor of making contraceptives more accessible for women . On the 40th anniversary of " Roe v . Wade " , she stated her support for that decision and for affordable healthcare services " which can contribute to fewer unplanned and teen pregnancies " . Same - sex marriage . Gabbard is opposed to the Defense of Marriage Act and to a proposed state constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a woman and a man . She had previously opposed same - sex marriage but now promises to work to repeal DOMA and co - sponsor the Respect for Marriage act , and asks state legislators " to pass legislation that will ensure fair and equal treatment for all of Hawai ' i ' s citizens . " She credits her tours of duty in the Middle East with triggering her change in views . Her father , Mike Gabbard , is a staunch anti - LGBT Democrat ( previously Republican ) who is currently the State Senator for Hawaii ' s 19th District . The familial connection , and her previous stance , initially caused voters to doubt the sincerity of her new support for LGBT causes . Defense . Gabbard believes women should be allowed to serve in all military roles , including combat , and praised the US Department of Defense for lifting its ban on women serving in ground combat roles . Although she served in the war in Iraq , she said in late 2012 , " I was against the war in Iraq . We never should have gone there in the first place . " She calls for an immediate withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan " as quickly and safely as possible " . Rep . Gabbard believes that one problem with the US ' s involvement in Iraq is that victory conditions have not been clearly defined . Gabbard received the endorsement of Equality Hawaii regarding her support for " equal rights for same - sex military spouses ( following the repeal of Don ’ t Ask , Don ’ t Tell ) " . Responding to the Obama Administration ' s policy on using drones in the United States , Gabbard stated that " these tactics should never be used against our own citizens here at home . " She said that she had However , her phrasing as a Representative , arguing that " drone strikes and other counter - terrorism tactics should not be targeting non - combatant U . S . citizens , " has narrower language than her earlier statements in favor of protecting the rights of all American citizens to due process . Environment . On April 22 , 2012 , Gabbard received a Sierra Club endorsement in the Democratic primary election for Hawaii ' s District 2 . Gabbard favors tax incentives for renewable energy startups . Banking . In her campaign materials and editorials , Gabbard calls for a restoration of the Glass Steagall Act , a ban on naked credit defaults , and forced breakup of the " big banks . " She also condemned banks that foreclosed on the homes of deployed troops . Visa restrictions . To encourage tourism , Gabbard aims to relax " outdated " visa restrictions for tourists , especially those originating in India and China . She will also focus on H - 1B visa s and legal immigration issues . Native Hawaiians as indigenous people . Gabbard supports the Akaka Bill , " believe [ s ] the U . S . government through an act of Congress should more formally recognize the special legal / political status of Native Hawaiians , " and supports Native Hawaiian health and education initiatives . Fiscal cliff and sequestration . In opposing sequestration cuts , Gabbard has said that the cuts are being used as a " political tool " and that the " arbitrary , across - the - board cuts " would affect military readiness . Government - sponsored healthcare . Gabbard is in favor of allowing Medicare to negotiate with prescription drug firms , stating that , on average , that would save US taxpayers " around $ 14 billion a year . " Personal life . Gabbard ' s first name , " Tulsi , " comes from the name of a plant sacred in Hinduism . She is a vegetarian and a Hindu who follows Gaudiya Vaishnavism , and specifically follows Sanatan Dharma and the Brahma Madhva Gaudiya Sampradaya . She especially appreciates the Bhagavad Gita as a spiritual guide , and used the Gita when she was ceremonially sworn in as a Representative . Gabbard describes herself as a " karma yogi " and credits her parents with instilling the value of " karma yoga " and being of service in her and her siblings . As a Vaishnava , Gabbard looks forward to visiting India , especially the holy sites of Vrindavan , after starting her Congressional term . Gabbard has said that she is pleased that her election gives hope to young American Hindus who " can be open about their faith , and even run for office , without fear of being discriminated against or attacked because of their religion " . In 2002 , Gabbard was a martial arts instructor . Gabbard was married to Eduardo Tamayo ; they divorced on June 5 , 2006 . She cites " the stresses war places on military spouses and families " as a reason for their divorce . Tamayo donated $ 500 to Gabbard ' s House campaign .