Honolulu City Council member Tulsi Gabbard is heading back to Honolulu on Thursday after spending a couple of days in Washington. DC808 caught up with the congressional hopeful at the tail end of what she called a ”very productive trip.”

“Being here, I see it incredibly clearly — as I do when I’m at home — the critical need for bringing fresh energy, true leadership and new ideas to Congress,” Gabbard said in an interview. “It’s important now more than ever because of the challenges we’re facing in our country, both nationally with foreign policy, as well as locally in Hawaii.”

Gabbard said she caught up with all four of Hawaii’s congressional delegates on Capitol Hill, and met with some other Democratic lawmakers like Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer.

She also met with representatives from groups like the Sierra Club, the Women’s Campaign Fund, the Asian American Action Fund and “many others.” Gabbard said she didn’t do any fundraising on this trip. 

Posted to Sen. Daniel Inouye‘s Twitter account was this photo of Gabbard’s visit to his office: