Anti-woke presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy vaults into third place in Republican primary behind Trump and DeSantis

07/09/2023 / By Laura Harris

In a recent survey conducted by Echelon Insights, anti-woke businessman and presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy has made significant gains in the Republican primary race, breaking into double digits in support.

The survey, conducted from June 26 to 29, collected responses from 1,020 likely voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percent. The national sentiment shows former President Donald Trump maintaining a strong lead with 49 percent support, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis following far behind with 16 percent support and Ramaswamy securing a close third place with 10 percent.

The Echelon Insights survey revealed that no other candidate has reached double-digit support. Former Vice President Mike Pence and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley are tied with five percent support followed by South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott with four percent support. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has two percent support, while both North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez have one percent support.

The survey results also showed Ramaswamy in third place in battleground states. Trump maintained a majority of support with 56 percent, followed by DeSantis with 22 percent and Ramaswamy with seven percent. (Related: RFK Jr.’s favorability rating rises as Biden’s satisfaction rating drops in separate polls.)

Ramaswamy’s recent surge in popularity can be attributed to increased name recognition and favorability among Republican primary voters, as indicated by Morning Consult’s weekly survey. The businessman has gained attention by challenging his fellow presidential candidates to commit to pardoning Trump for federal charges on their first day in office.

On June 13, Ramaswamy took to social media to make his challenge, writing: “I challenge every U.S. Presidential candidate to join me in standing for TRUTH. Commit to pardon Donald Trump for these federal charges on Day 1, or explain why you won’t.”

His call has sparked discussions and debate among the candidates, further boosting his visibility and appeal.

Ramaswamy predicted in April that he would top the GOP primary

Back in April, Ramaswamy confidently made predictions about his chances in the GOP primary for the 2024 presidential race. According to a memo from Politico Playbook, Ramaswamy’s campaign believes that he will be polling in second or third place by the end of 2023. This would position him as a viable alternative to Trump or DeSantis.

Ben Yoho, the CEO of Vivek 2024, expressed confidence in the candidacy of Ramaswamy, stating that Republican voters will seek an outsider who embraces the pro-Trump and America First agenda, particularly as Trump and DeSantis engage in what he called self-destructive behavior throughout the summer and fall. Yoho also highlighted Ramaswamy’s strong campaign finances and claimed that the businessman is polling competitively with well-known national political figures.

However, previous polling data from RealClear Politics did not fully support their claims. RealClearPolitics put Ramaswamy’s average support across different polls at 1.5 percent, putting him in sixth place among 11 potential GOP presidential candidates. Trump, DeSantis, Pence, Haley and Scott all outperform Ramaswamy.

Yoho dismissed other candidates such as Haley and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson as “career politicians” and claimed that only Ramaswamy, Trump and DeSantis have the profile, message and resources to be competitive in the early primary states. Yoho argued that the status of Ramaswamy as an outsider provides an advantage over his opponents.

Despite the previous polling numbers, Yoho believes Ramaswamy’s outsider appeal and substantial campaign funds, reportedly on par with Trump’s, would propel him to victory. Yoho said the primary would eventually come down to a choice between Trump and the “memories of America First 1.0” or Ramaswamy and the “promise of America First 2.0.”

Learn more about the race for the Republican Party’s nomination at VoteRepublican.news.

Watch this interview with Vivek Ramaswamy as he explains his plan, if elected, to revive record-low American patriotism.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.