Oct 25, 2019 - Politics & Policy

Tulsi Gabbard won't seek re-election to Congress in 2020

Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) announced early Friday that she will not seek re-election to Congress in 2020 in order to focus on her presidential campaign.

"I'm fully committed to my offer to serve you, the people of Hawaii & America, as your President & Commander-in-Chief. So I will not be seeking reelection to Congress in 2020. I humbly ask for your support for my candidacy for President of the United States."

Why it matters: Gabbard's positions, especially on foreign policy, are often out of line with Democratic orthodoxy. That's helped her to receive a huge amount of buzz online in recent weeks, propelled by conservative voices.

She also grabbed headlines after Hillary Clinton said that she was Russia's favorite candidate, speculating that she might mount a third-party bid for the presidency. Gabbard has denied that she is considering a third-party run.

Worth noting: Gabbard had a Democratic primary challenger for her House seat.

Kai Kahele, the son of late Hawaii politician Gil Kahele, had pulled in more donations from Hawaiians for his bid than Gabbard had received for her presidential campaign from the state — $345,616 to $221,501, per OpenSecrets.

Go deeper: Tulsi Gabbard on the issues, in under 500 words

Go deeper

Axios

1 min ago - Health

Coronavirus testing czar: Lockdowns in hotspots "should be on the table"

The Trump administration's coronavirus testing coordinator Adm. Brett Giroir said on ABC's "This Week" that "everything" — including the "stringent lockdowns" that many governors implemented in March and April — should be "on the table" in states where new infections are skyrocketing.

Why it matters: President Trump said in June that the U.S. "won't be closing down the country again" — a view shared by many Republicans who believe that the economic damage caused by stay-at-home orders was too great to justify a second round of lockdowns.

Go deeper (1 min. read)

Axios

Updated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 8:30 a.m. ET: 12,740,971 — Total deaths: 565,716 — Total recoveries — 7,022,846 — Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 8:30 a.m. ET: 3,247,782 — Total deaths: 134,815 — Total recoveries: 995,576 — Total tested: 39,553,395 — Map.
Politics: Trump wears face mask in public for first time.
Public health: Fauci hasn't briefed Trump on the coronavirus pandemic in at least two months — We're losing the war on the coronavirus.
States: Louisiana governor issues face mask mandate.
World: India reimposes lockdowns as coronavirus cases soar.

Go deeper (<1 min. read)

Zachary Basu

2 hours ago - World

Hundreds of thousands vote in Hong Kong's opposition primaries

Photo: Isaac Lawrence/AFP via Getty Images

Organizers say more than 500,000 Hong Kong residents have voted in primary elections held by pro-democracy opposition groups on Saturday and Sunday, despite fears of a government crackdown under Beijing's draconian new national security law, Reuters reports.

Why it matters: The primaries, which aren't part of the city's official political process, are intended to whittle down the field of pro-democracy candidates in order to avoid splitting the vote against pro-China ruling politicians in September's legislative elections.