The long-distance life of the 50th state’s freshman representative, Democrat Tulsi Gabbard, one of the brightest new stars in a mostly lackluster Congress, yields some interesting numbers.
Gabbard is the first Hindu and American Samoan elected to Congress. Photograph by Jeff Elkins
178,784: Miles flown between Washington and Hawaii since her swearing-in on January 3, 2013. When Gabbard gets home, she says, “I literally drop my bags, put on my bathing suit, and go straight to the ocean.”
2: Number of deployments to the Middle East, including a year in Iraq starting in 2005 and ten months in Kuwait in 2008. “It completely changed my perspective on the fragility of life,” Gabbard says. Still active in Hawaii’s National Guard, she completes 39 days of training per year.
33: Gabbard’s age, making her the youngest woman in Congress. At 21, she became the youngest person ever elected to Hawaii’s House of Representatives.
8: Years her father, Mike Gabbard, has served as a Hawaii state senator.
6: Time difference in hours between Hawaii and Washington.
7: Number of House freshmen to get a bill through Congress in 2013. Gabbard introduced the Helping Heroes Fly Act, requiring the Transportation Security Administration to develop policies that protect the privacy of disabled veterans going through airport security.
6′ 1″: Length of her favorite surfboard. She owns three.
13: Number of Congress members who have represented Hawaii since it became a state in 1959. Gabbard is the fifth representative from the 2nd District.
179,000: Tons of sugar cane grown last year in her home district.
83: Gabbard’s personal best, at age 27, for number of pushups in two minutes in the Army Physical Fitness Test. Minimum for women in her age bracket: 17.
3: Liters of coconut water she drinks every week.
This article appears in the June 2014 issue of Washingtonian.
From Hawaii to the Hill
The long-distance life of the 50th state’s freshman representative, Democrat Tulsi Gabbard, one of the brightest new stars in a mostly lackluster Congress, yields some interesting numbers.
178,784: Miles flown between Washington and Hawaii since her swearing-in on January 3, 2013. When Gabbard gets home, she says, “I literally drop my bags, put on my bathing suit, and go straight to the ocean.”
2: Number of deployments to the Middle East, including a year in Iraq starting in 2005 and ten months in Kuwait in 2008. “It completely changed my perspective on the fragility of life,” Gabbard says. Still active in Hawaii’s National Guard, she completes 39 days of training per year.
33: Gabbard’s age, making her the youngest woman in Congress. At 21, she became the youngest person ever elected to Hawaii’s House of Representatives.
8: Years her father, Mike Gabbard, has served as a Hawaii state senator.
6: Time difference in hours between Hawaii and Washington.
7: Number of House freshmen to get a bill through Congress in 2013. Gabbard introduced the Helping Heroes Fly Act, requiring the Transportation Security Administration to develop policies that protect the privacy of disabled veterans going through airport security.
6′ 1″: Length of her favorite surfboard. She owns three.
13: Number of Congress members who have represented Hawaii since it became a state in 1959. Gabbard is the fifth representative from the 2nd District.
179,000: Tons of sugar cane grown last year in her home district.
83: Gabbard’s personal best, at age 27, for number of pushups in two minutes in the Army Physical Fitness Test. Minimum for women in her age bracket: 17.
3: Liters of coconut water she drinks every week.
This article appears in the June 2014 issue of Washingtonian.
Most Popular in News & Politics
Cheryl Hines Suddenly Has a Lot to Say About RFK Jr. and MAGA
Most Powerful Women in Washington 2025
Shutdown Hits Two-Week Mark, House Speaker Feels Threatened by Naked Cyclists, and Big Balls’ Attackers Get Probation
Washington DC’s 500 Most Influential People of 2025
Eduardo Peñalver Will Be Georgetown University’s 49th President
Washingtonian Magazine
October Issue: Most Powerful Women
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
Want to Live in a DC Firehouse?
DC Punk Explored in Three New History Books
The Local Group Fighting to Keep Virginia’s Space Shuttle
Alexandria’s “Fancy Pigeon” Has a New Home
More from News & Politics
Washington Spirit Playoffs: Everything You Need to Know
Some Feds Are Driving for Uber as Shutdown Grinds On, Congressman Claims Swastika Was Impossible to See on Flag, and Ikea Will Leave Pentagon City
Brittany Pettersen on Being a New Mom While in Congress
Organizers Say More Than 100,000 Expected for DC’s No Kings Protest Saturday
Democracy Melted in Front of the Capitol Yesterday
Judge Halts Shutdown Layoffs—for Now; Virginia AG Candidates Will Debate Tonight; Flying Ferry to Be Tested on Potomac
Eduardo Peñalver Will Be Georgetown University’s 49th President
Cheryl Hines Suddenly Has a Lot to Say About RFK Jr. and MAGA