SOUNDBITE: REP.

TULSI GABBARD, (D)-HAWAII (ENGLISH) SAYING: "Let us draw inspiration from the words of Mahatma Gandhi, a small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history." That was Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard at the 2016 Democratic National Convention nominating Bernie Sanders for president.... but she's now ready to make history on her own terms. Gabbard announced Friday that she will join the 2020 Democratic race for the White House.

A formal announcement is coming, she told CNN, as she shared her intentions.

Gabbard is the first Hindu and first Samoan-American elected to the U.S. Congress.

An Iraq veteran, Gabbard has been outspoken on foreign policy issues.

SOUNDBITE: REP.

TULSI GABBARD, (D)-HAWAII (ENGLISH) SAYING: "My question is will the president uphold the Constitution, the War Powers resolution, and comply with the law that he signed by obtaining authorization from Congress before launching U.S. military attacks against Syria." But came under criticism in 2017 for meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during an unannounced trip to the Middle East, with stops in Damascus, Aleppo and Beirut.

Gabbard will be part of what is expected to be a crowded field of those looking to unseat President Trump.

So far the most high profile in the crowd: Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who announced an exploratory committee for a presidential run in December and spent the first weekend of the new year testing the waters in Iowa.

Gabbard says the main focus of her campaign will be "war and peace."