Tulsi Gabbard’s growing popularity — among Trump supporters
Among some conservative pundits there was one clear winner of Wednesday night’s Democratic primary debate: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, the long-shot, anti-war Hawaii member of Congress.
More than any other Democratic candidate, Gabbard has developed a favorable presence in the right-wing media. She’s made appearances from time to time on Fox News shows like Tucker Carlson Tonight, and her unorthodox candidacy has attracted praise from those farther to the right as well. Gabbard has been controversial; she has apologized for holding anti-gay views in the past, including onstage during the debate, and she has been heavily criticized for meeting with the brutal Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and for questioning whether his regime carried out chemical weapons attacks. But Wednesday night, she appeared to cement her status as the very online right’s favorite Democratic candidate.
On Wednesday night, Matt Drudge, the reclusive Drudge Report impresario, tweeted that Gabbard had won his site’s online debate poll. As of Thursday afternoon, Gabbard was featured on the top left of the Drudge Report, with several linked headlines like “SHOCK: GABBARD WINS FIRST DEBATE POLL…” and “AND SHE IS MOST SEARCHED NAME DURING DEBATE.”
Breitbart News devoted a lot of its debate coverage to Gabbard, writing several articles about her. Breitbart writer Joel Pollak livestreamed his exchange with Gabbard in the spin room after the debate, the only candidate who got that treatment. [Continue reading…]