In the 1970s and early 1980s, Gabbard was a guidance counselor and later Assistant Dean of Instruction at American Samoa Community College. He also worked as a head tennis pro at the Kuilima Hyatt Resort on the North Shore of O'ahu in the late 1970s. From 1983 to 1987, Gabbard worked as headmaster and teacher at Ponomauloa School in Wahiawa, Hawaii. From 1988 to 1992, Gabbard and his wife owned The Natural Deli, a vegetarian health food restaurant in Moiliili, Hawaii. Gabbard closed the restaurant following picketing by activists after Gabbard said on his self-funded radio show, "Let's Talk Straight Hawaii," on K-108, that "If were both the same, then I would take the one that is not homosexual." In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Gabbard and his wife worked for state Senator Rick Reed. In the early 1990s, Gabbard and his wife were listed as teachers for the Science of Identity Foundation. Gabbard and his wife later started Hawaiian Toffee Treasures, a candy company in Honolulu.
Activism
LGBT rights opposition
Between 1991 and 1996, Gabbard founded the organization Stop Promoting Homosexuality Hawaii, Stop Promoting Homosexuality America, and the Alliance for Traditional Marriage and Values. Gabbard became well known for his advocacy for Hawaii Constitutional Amendment 2. This amendment, approved by voters 69.2–28.6%, gave the state legislature "the power to reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples" under the federal Defense of Marriage Act signed by Bill Clinton in 1996.
Other activism work
Shortly after 9/11, Gabbard founded Stand Up For America, a non-profit educational organization. In 2007, Gabbard co-founded the Aloha Parenting Project with his wife Carol. APP is a grassroots non-profit organization that educates, supports, and helps parents raise children to become responsible, productive members of the community.
Political career
Gabbard was elected to the Honolulu City Council in a nonpartisan race in 2002. In 2004, he ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the Second Congressional District of Hawaii in the United States House of Representatives, losing to state RepresentativeEd Case. On March 21, 2006, Gabbard announced his plans to run for the Hawaii State Senate in West Oahu's District 19, a seat then held by 14-year incumbent Senator Brian Kanno, who decided not to run for reelection. On November 7, 2006, Gabbard defeated retired Honolulu police captain George Yamamoto by a 56% to 44% margin to represent the district in the Hawaii State Senate. Gabbard was sworn in on January 17, 2007. Gabbard, who was born in American Samoa, became the first person of Samoan descent to serve in the Hawaii Senate. On August 30, 2007, Gabbard switched from the Republican Party of Hawaii to the Democratic Party of Hawaii. His stated reason for doing so was that he believed that he could be more effective to his constituents as part of the majority party in the State Senate, where Democrats have long had a supermajority. On November 2, 2010, Gabbard was re-elected for a second term to the Hawaii State Senate after defeating Republican Aaron Bonar by a 74% to 26% margin. He was the Chair of the Energy & Environment Committee from 2009 to 2015, culminating with his leadership on the passage of a first-in-the-nation law to require Hawaii utilities to get 100% of their electricity from clean, renewable energy sources by 2045. On November 6, 2012, Gabbard defeated Republican candidate Dean Capelouto, 72% to 28%, to represent the newly reapportioned Hawaii State Senate District 20. During the 2016 election cycle, Gabbard was unopposed and was re-elected to the Hawaii State Senate for a four-year term on November 8, 2016.
Political positions
Gabbard opposes same-sex marriage and civil unions. He believes marriage should only be between a man and a woman. In 2016, while serving as the Chair of the Water, Land, and Agriculture Committee Gabbard authored a law banning the sale of any part or product of endangered species, such as elephant ivory. In 2018, he authored and helped pass legislation to implement a statewide ban on sunscreens that contain the controversial chemicals oxybenzone and octinoxate. Gabbard also advocated banning the pesticide chlorpyrifos; when the law was signed into effect, Hawaii became the first state in the nation to enact a chlorpyrifos ban. He is currently the Chair of the Agriculture and Environment Committee and is focused on increasing local food production, implementing his initiative to establish an industrial hemppilot program under the Hawaii State Department of Agriculture, and protecting the environment.
