Gabbard was arguably an afterthought going into Wednesday's debate.
But the Hawaii representative exceeded expectations. Her answers were clear, concise and she had palpable stage presence.
She did not shy away from addressing her past stance opposing same-sex marriage.
“There
is no one in our government at any level who has the right to tell any
American who they should be allowed to love or who they should be
allowed to marry," she said, pointing to how some Americans could also
"relate to the fact that I grew up in a socially conservative home" and
"held views when I was very young that I no longer hold today."
Gabbard
also had a moment when talking about foreign policy, a topic that has
been controversial for the congresswoman given her views on Syrian
leader Bashar al Assad.
During a heated exchanged with Ryan, Gabbard pointed out that the Taliban did not attack the World Trade Center on 9/11.
"That's why I and other people joined the military," she continued, "to go after Al Qaeda. Not the Taliban."
-- Rebecca Morin, "First night of Democratic debate: Who were the winners and losers" (USA TODAY).
