Campaign

Gabbard fails to qualify for key Iowa campaign event

by Julia Manchester - 10/31/19 11:26 AM ET

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) did not meet the qualifications to address the audience at a key Iowa Democratic Party campaign event on Friday.

The spokesman for Iowa’s Democratic Party told CNN on Wednesday that in order to qualify to speak at the event, candidates were required to open at least two field offices in the Hawkeye State or purchase the state party’s voter file.

{mosads}”To our knowledge, the congresswoman did neither of those things,” Jonah Hermann, the party’s spokesman, told the network.

The Hill has reached out to Gabbard’s campaign for comment.

The Liberty and Justice Celebration, formerly known as the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, is seen as an important event with fewer than 100 days to go before the state’s caucuses.

Former President Obama made headlines at the dinner during his first presidential campaign in 2007, giving an address that was seen as a turning point for his campaign going into the Iowa caucuses.

Pete Buttigieg’s campaign even drew comparisons between the South Bend, Ind., mayor’s 2020 presidential bid and Obama’s 2007 presidential bid in a fundraising email sent Wednesday.

Fourteen of the 2020 Democratic hopefuls are slated to attend the event, including Buttigieg and front-runners former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

The Iowa gathering comes as Gabbard’s future in the 2020 presidential race appears uncertain, with a number of Democratic operatives growing fearful that she could launch a third-party run if she does not secure the Democratic nomination.

However, Gabbard has publicly stated she will not run as a third-party candidate.

Gabbard has consistently polled in the low single digits throughout the campaign and is currently trailing the race’s top-tier candidates in fundraising.