Tulsi Gabbard participates in a high-level Situation Room meeting at the White House, seated at the table alongside national security officials.
Most politicians only have to worry about one enemy camp. Tulsi Gabbard has two — and they agree on almost nothing except that she’s a problem they don’t want in 2028.
It’s not because she’s leading the polls or raising record-shattering money. It’s because she’s unpredictable. She doesn’t owe either party anything, and she’s already proven she’s willing to torch her own allies if they cross her principles. That’s not a trait either major party rewards.
The Democrats’ Tulsi Problem
For the Democratic establishment, Gabbard is a defector with a memory. She remembers the 2016 primary rigging scandals because she was there, and she’s not shy about bringing them up. She walked away from the DNC in full daylight and never asked to come back.
That’s not just a political difference — it’s personal. Every time she’s on TV criticizing the party’s foreign policy or civil liberties record, she reminds their voters there’s a viable alternative voice. For a party built on message discipline, she’s a loose wire.
The Republicans’ Tulsi Problem
At first glance, Republicans should love her: pro-military background, tough on foreign policy mistakes, critical of the left. But here’s the catch — she’s not a guaranteed yes vote for their agenda.
She’s not in lockstep with the hawkish foreign policy wing. She’s not bought into the corporate donor class. And she’s not the type to avoid calling out Republican hypocrisy just because she’s sharing a stage with them. That makes her unreliable in a political culture that demands loyalty over independence.
The Cross-Party Threat
Gabbard’s real danger isn’t that she can win a majority in 2028. It’s that she can pull voters from both sides in margins big enough to cost one of them the election. In razor-thin swing states, that’s all it takes to turn a sure win into a humiliating loss.
And the more either party tries to attack her, the more she can point to it as proof that she’s not owned by any political machine. That “both sides hate me” badge of honor is political gold with disillusioned voters.
Why They Can’t Just Ignore Her
The usual establishment tactic for dealing with outsiders is to starve them of oxygen — no coverage, no debate invites, no inclusion in polling. But Gabbard already plays in a different media ecosystem. Podcasts, YouTube interviews, alternative media — she doesn’t need the legacy press to reach millions.
Ignoring her doesn’t make her disappear. It just makes her base more convinced she’s being deliberately silenced.
The Bottom Line
Tulsi Gabbard isn’t the type of candidate either party can buy, control, or predict. That makes her a risk factor they can’t model away. Whether she’s polling at 3% or 13%, her ability to draw blood from both sides in an election that could hinge on a single state is exactly why they’re watching her — and exactly why they’re worried.
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