Gabbard made the surprise announcement on Thursday in a video posted to her Twitter account, explaining she was dropping out to focus on dealing with the coronavirus epidemic in Hawaii and potentially serving in her National Guard capacity should she be called to action.

The endorsement of Biden came as a particular surprise, given Gabbard’s opposition to “regime change wars,” a central plank of her platform. As vice president under Barack Obama, Biden was deeply involved in expanding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan into conflicts in Yemen, Libya, Syria, Somalia, and Pakistan.

"Although I may not agree with the Vice President on every issue, I know that he has a good heart and is motivated by his love for our country and the American people,” Gabbard said in a statement.

It’s unclear what the Hawaii Democrat’s next play is - she announced months ago she did not plan to run for reelection to her seat in the House after centrist Kai Kahele stepped up to primary her. While Gabbard’s detractors have been shrieking for months that she plans to throw her hat into the ring as a third-party spoiler, her decision to endorse the centrist favorite poured cold water on those speculations.

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