Tulsi Gabbard explains why voting for Kamala Harris is 'a vote for Dick Cheney'

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO: Tulsi Gabbard has aimed at former vice president Dick Cheney (R) and his daughter, former representative Liz Cheney (R-Wyo) for their recent endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris.

The former representative for Hawaii argued that supporting Kamala Harris is akin to supporting the elder Cheney and his controversial foreign policy legacy.

Tulsi Gabbard's sharp criticism of Liz and Dick Cheney

Tulsi Gabbard addressed the endorsements on Friday, September 6, at an event in Colorado Springs, Colorado, alongside conservative commentator Tucker Carlson.

“I have a very simple message for my Democrat friends, my independent friends, those who may not be sure about who they’re voting for in this election, Dick Cheney has just made the choice very clear, a vote for Kamala Harris is a vote for Dick Cheney, the architect of everything that has gone wrong in the Middle East for the last few decades," she said.

Dick Cheney, who served as vice president under former president George W Bush, remains a polarizing figure, particularly among Democrats who heavily criticized his hawkish foreign policy stances and support for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Tulsi Gabbard links Kamala Harris' endorsements to Middle East conflicts

Tulsi Gabbard, a military veteran who served in the Middle East, expressed personal dismay at Kamala Harris' acceptance of Cheney's endorsements.

Speaking to a crowd that included fellow veterans, Gabbard noted, “Her [Harris’s] response to the Dick Cheney announcement today was that she was honored to have his endorsement, and we got military veterans in the house? Got a lot of you who probably served in the Middle East like I did."

"So it sickened me, Tucker, to read those words today from Dick Cheney, Liz Cheney, and Kamala Harris because we have people who we care very much about who were killed in those wars because of Dick Cheney,” she added.

Gabbard, who left the Democratic Party in 2022 and endorsed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in August, used the moment to underscore her disapproval of the Cheneys' political influence and Harris' acceptance of their support.

Broader Republican support for Kamala Harris

The Cheneys' endorsement of Kamala Harris follows a trend among some anti-Trump Republicans, including former representative Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and former Georgia Lt Governor Geoff Duncan, who have also backed Harris, according to The Hill.

Liz Cheney, in particular, has been vocal in urging Republicans who oppose Trump to go further and support Harris, arguing that those publicly against Trump need to "take the extra step."