3rd-party bid? Gabbard's denials don't ease Democrats' fears
The Hawaii congresswoman and Democratic presidential candidate appeared on Tucker Carlson's show on Fox News. She denounced Hillary Clinton as the "personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party for so long." That's feeding fears among party leaders and pundits that Gabbard isn't necessarily aiming to win a Democratic primary but is laying the groundwork to run as a third-party candidate. Gabbard repeatedly denies planning an independent candidacy, as she did Wednesday when she told ABC's "The View" that she's "running to build a new Democratic Party." In 2000, Green Party candidate Ralph Nader netted 2.74% of the popular vote and was blamed by Democrats for tipping Florida, and the presidency, to Republican George W. Bush.