20 Democrats who are likely to run in 2020

14. Tulsi Gabbard

To be candid, many people are still hoping for a women to become President of the United States. While other nations have already achieved the milestone of a female head of state, the U.S. has yet to make it there. That’s at least in part why Hillary Clinton gained so much traction in 2016, and why so many seemed crushed by her defeat. It wasn’t the whole picture, naturally. Neither should a candidate make it to the nomination simply because of their gender.

Still, with the increasing number of women winning office in both state and federal legislatures — this year was a record-breaking one for female candidates — chances are good that we’ll see at least one woman put her name in for the 2020 race.

Tulsi Gabbard, the Democratic Representative for Hawaii’s 2nd congressional district, could be one of those women. She’s reportedly considering a bid in 2020, though Gabbard has not yet made any public statements confirming her interests.

While other candidates on this list have made their mark on the domestic side of politics, Gabbard has generated news for her role in foreign affairs. In 2017, she met with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, using the opportunity to question his role in the chemical attacks on Syrian people and the need for U.S. military intervention. That could be a serious blow to her credibility going forward for some voters, who may not react well to any politician getting so close to Assad, who many deem a dictator.

However, Gabbard’s anti-interventionist and progressive economics could win significant interest in her favor. Her economic standpoints have earned her the praise of both progressive darling Senator Bernie Sanders and disgraced White House advisor Steve Bannon. That kind of moral and political complexity could be a volatile mix in the next election season.