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Lewkowski
In 2002, after redistricting, Gabbard won the four-candidate Democratic primary with a plurality of 48% of the vote. Gabbard then won the general election with 65% of the vote, defeating Republican Alfonso Jimenez.[76] At the age of 21, Gabbard became the youngest legislator ever elected in Hawaii's history, and was at the time the youngest woman ever elected to a U.S. state legislature.[50][51]
n early 2011, Mazie Hirono, the incumbent Democratic U.S. Representative for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district, announced that she would run for the United States Senate. In May 2011, Gabbard announced her candidacy for Hirono's House seat.[91] The Democratic Mayor of Honolulu, Mufi Hannemann, was the best-known candidate in the six-way primary, but Gabbard won with 62,882 votes (55%); the Honolulu Star-Advertiser called her win an "improbable rise from a distant underdog to victory."[92] After winning the primary, Gabbard resigned from the City Council on August 16 "in order to focus on her congressional campaign"[93] and to prevent the cost of holding a special election.[94][95]
As the Democratic nominee, Gabbard spoke at the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, at the invitation of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who called Gabbard "an emerging star."[96][97] As expected in heavily Democratic Hawaii, she won the general election on November 6, 2012, defeating Republican Kawika Crowley by 168,503 to 40,707 votes (80.6%–19.4%),[98] becoming the first voting Samoan-American[99][100] and first Hindu member of Congress.[101][102]
In December 2012, Gabbard applied to be considered for appointment to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the death of Daniel Inouye.[103] Despite support from some prominent mainland Democrats,[104][105] she was not on the list of three candidates which the Democratic Party of Hawaii sent to the governor.[106]
In March 2013, Gabbard introduced the "Helping Heroes Fly Act", which sought to improve airport security screenings for severely wounded veterans. It passed Congress and was signed into law by President Barack Obama.[107][108][109] She also introduced the house version of the Military Justice Improvement Act.[110][111][112]
Gabbard was reelected on November 8, 2014, defeating Crowley again, by 142,010 to 33,630 votes (78.7%–18.6%); Libertarian candidate Joe Kent garnered 4,693 votes (2.6%).[113]
Gabbard was reelected on November 8, 2016, defeating Republican nominee Angela Kaaihue by 170,848 to 39,668 votes (81.2%–18.8%).[120]
Gabbard was reelected in November 2018,[124] defeating Republican nominee Brian Evans by 153,271 to 44,850 votes (77.4%–22.6%).
So did Trump hold office as a Democrat?