Tulsi Gabbard’s sister accuses MSNBC of favoring Elizabeth Warren during debate
However, the candidates' speaking time ended up being a lot more even than she suggested.
The nine people on stage with Sen. Elizabeth Warren during the first Democratic presidential primary debate mostly deferred from taking on the Massachusetts senator Wednesday night (despite being given several early chances by moderators).
One person who was unafraid to namecheck Warren: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s sister.
While the Hawaii congresswoman was on stage, her younger sister, Vrindavan, sent a tweet from Gabbard’s campaign account accusing MSNBC, one of the debate’s hosts, of supposedly favoring Warren through roughly the first 40 minutes of the two-hour event.
It’s clear who MSNBC wants to be president: Elizabeth Warren. They’re giving her more time than all the other candidates combined. They aren’t giving any time to Tulsi at all. -V (Tulsi’s sister)
— Tulsi Gabbard 🌺 (@TulsiGabbard) June 27, 2019
“It’s clear who MSNBC wants to be president: Elizabeth Warren,” the tweet said. “They’re giving her more time than all the other candidates combined. They aren’t giving any time to Tulsi at all.”
That didn’t exactly turn out to be the case.
Though Warren — who had the highest polling average of the 10 candidates on stage Wednesday — did receive several of the early questions, she ultimately spoke for 9.3 minutes during the debate — the third most behind New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and former Texas congressman Beto O’Rourke, who spoke for 10.9 and 10.3 minutes, respectively.
Gabbard spoke for a total of 6.6 minutes, which was the seventh most out of the 10 candidates.
Here’s the final tally: How many minutes each candidate got to speak on the first night https://t.co/Xk6uafPQWZ #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/aXNPxAW6DF
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) June 27, 2019
She did, however, get one notable highlight during the second half of the debate: a contentious clash with Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan over foreign military intervention.
Ryan: “We must stay engaged [in Middle East].” Gabbard: “Is that what you will tell the parents of those two soldiers who were just killed in Afghanistan?” #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/8gWqUm7Cja
— NBC News (@NBCNews) June 27, 2019
Gabbard, a critic and veteran of the Iraq War, said Ryan’s calls for the United States to remain “engaged” in the Middle East was “unacceptable.”
“We are no better off in Afghanistan today than we were when this war began,” she said. “This is why it’s so important to have a president and commander-in-chief who knows the cost of war.”
