Laramie County GOP hosts Tulsi Gabbard at the Red State Summit event

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) - The Laramie County GOP held a special event on Friday.

The Laramie County GOP hosted the 2024 Red State rendezvous at the Cheyenne Civic Center.

We sat down one-on-one with a former presidential nominee to discuss her journey as a political Independent turned Trump supporter.

This year's keynote speaker was the four-term Hawaiian Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard.

She's recently come into the limelight for several reasons, mainly supporting former president Donald Trump.

"I don't fit into any boxes or any labels," said Gabbard.

This was after chairing the DNC from 2013 to 2016, resigning to join Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign in 2016, running for President in 2020 and then leaving the Democratic Party to declare herself an Independent in 2022.

"Most people in the country don't identify with either party. Most people in the country are independent minded people who really are questioning are those in government representing my interests or their own interests who are they really working for," said Gabbard.

She now serves as a co-chair of the Trump transition team.

Gabbard says voters should look at a nominee's track record to decide who to support.

"We should not be blind followers of any political party, and we should hold our leaders accountable if they are no longer representing the interests of the American people and working toward that better quality of life," said Gabbard.

The Wyoming Democrats weighed in, and they echo the same sentiment.

"I think that folks are thinking a lot about their values, the things that they've seen, and the vision these leaders have for the future, and they are deciding that they are going to vote for their values. They may be switching parties to the other parties to the other party, or they may be crossing the party line to vote for someone who they feel represents all the things that they want to see," said Mandy Weaver, Communications Director for the Wyoming Democratic Party.

When asked Gabbard what she thinks a Presidential win from either candidate would mean, she says,

"In economic policy, domestic policy, education policy, health care policy, foreign policy, our country will be far worse off if Kamala Harris is elected as president," said Gabbard. "We had lower interest rates. Far lower cost of living, lower cost of energy, and we have a president now, if he is re-elected, who openly talked about the lessons he's learned from his first term."

Gabbard served as a lieutenant colonel in the Hawaiian Army National Guard for 17 years and spoke passionately about protecting our freedom of speech, censorship and the closeness of war.

"Free speech does not apply to hate speech disinformation or misinformation. Our question and challenge for them then is who gets to decide what meets that criteria. If you say something that I find offensive, should I have the authority to say that you must be silent," said Gabbard. "Every voice in this country matters, and if we are not satisfied with the way things are, it's up to us to bring about that change,"

Gabbard is meeting up with former president Trump and independent Robert F. Kennedy tomorrow in Vegas.