section_path: Post-congressional activities (2021–2025)/Party switch
section_name: Party switch
paragraph_text: Party switch
  
  On October 11, 2022, Gabbard announced on Twitter that she was leaving the Democratic Party, accusing its leadership of "cowardly wokeness, anti-white racism, hostile to people of faith and spirituality, and dragging us closer to nuclear war". Shortly thereafter, she endorsed and campaigned for several Donald Trump -supported Republican candidates in the 2022 midterm elections. Among those she endorsed were Senate candidates Don Bolduc, Adam Laxalt and JD Vance, and Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.
  
  Following Donald Trump's entry into the 2024 Republican presidential primary, commentators suggested that he might consider Gabbard as a potential running mate. On February 22, 2024, she was a featured speaker at CPAC, raising speculation of her candidacy as a potential vice-presidential selection. During a Fox & Friends interview on March 6, she was directly asked about serving as Trump's vice president. She responded, "I would be honored to serve our country in that way and be in a position to help President Trump." In March 2024, Trump cited her as one of his potential choices for his running mate.
  
  On August 26, 2024, Gabbard endorsed Trump's re-election bid during a National Guard Association gathering in Michigan. The next day, she was named as an honorary co-chair of his presidential transition team, alongside Robert F. Kennedy Jr., joining Trump's sons and the Republican vice-presidential nominee, JD Vance. On October 22, 2024, while speaking at a Trump rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, she announced she was joining the Republican Party.
  
  On October 11, 2022, Gabbard announced on Twitter that she was leaving the Democratic Party, accusing its leadership of "cowardly wokeness, anti-white racism, hostile to people of faith and spirituality, and dragging us closer to nuclear war". Shortly thereafter, she endorsed and campaigned for several Donald Trump -supported Republican candidates in the 2022 midterm elections. Among those she endorsed were Senate candidates Don Bolduc, Adam Laxalt and JD Vance, and Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.
  
  Following Donald Trump's entry into the 2024 Republican presidential primary, commentators suggested that he might consider Gabbard as a potential running mate. On February 22, 2024, she was a featured speaker at CPAC, raising speculation of her candidacy as a potential vice-presidential selection. During a Fox & Friends interview on March 6, she was directly asked about serving as Trump's vice president. She responded, "I would be honored to serve our country in that way and be in a position to help President Trump." In March 2024, Trump cited her as one of his potential choices for his running mate.
  
  On August 26, 2024, Gabbard endorsed Trump's re-election bid during a National Guard Association gathering in Michigan. The next day, she was named as an honorary co-chair of his presidential transition team, alongside Robert F. Kennedy Jr., joining Trump's sons and the Republican vice-presidential nominee, JD Vance. On October 22, 2024, while speaking at a Trump rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, she announced she was joining the Republican Party.