MIAMI– Months ago, the businessman and candidate for the presidency of the United States, Vivek Ramaswamy, was an outsider, but since his fervent support for former President Donald Trump, amid the political persecution he faces, the Republican opponent has climbed in the polls and now registers the same approval that the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis.
Ramaswamy now finds himself neck and neck with DeSantis, as the runner-up for the Republican primary behind heavy favorite Donald Trump.
“To be honest, I’m pleased but not that surprised,” Ramaswamy told The New York Post. “We are seeing a broader activation of momentum.”
A recent Kaplan Strategies poll of primary voters found Ramaswamy tied DeSantis with 12%.
Similarly, a Harvard Harris poll conducted last week found Ramaswamy topping double digits with 10% of likely Republican primary voters, closing in on DeSantis’ 12%.
Kaplan Strategies pollster Doug Kaplan says Ramaswamy’s campaign is just getting off the ground.
“He’s realizing it now, so he’s going to keep winning,” Kaplan told The Post. “I think our survey is spot on.”
The candidate demands changes within federal agencies
Ramaswamy, 37, a former biotech investor, is running on a platform calling for changes at federal agencies, including the FBI, the Department of Education and Justice, a commitment to Americas First policies and an approach that calls for review the high cost of the war in Ukraine.
Both experts and Ramaswamy agree that much of its recent rise is due to increased awareness and exposure.
“My name identification was very low for a while,” Ramaswamy said. “People literally hadn’t heard of me. But now that they have, the math is predictable.”
He points to two recent events, a panel in Iowa and a Turning Point USA rally, as points of greatest presence.
He has also embraced a relentless media circuit. Ramaswamy has distinguished himself among Republican hopefuls by being uniquely willing to get involved in a variety of media, appearing regularly on Fox News, NBC and CNN since he announced his candidacy.
“He’s very media-savvy,” an anonymous Republican operative who supports Trump’s re-election told The Post. “He comes across as someone who speaks more normally than a politician with the typical talking points.”
Kaplan’s analysis found that the Ohio businessman has made particular strides with independent voters and the 30-49 demographic.
“In particular, we are reaching a lot of young people,” Ramaswamy said. “I think we’re reaching out to a lot of independent-minded Republicans or even people who don’t traditionally think of themselves as old-school Republicans.”
According to Ramaswamy’s campaign, he has received contributions from 70,000 unique donors, 40% of whom have never given to a Republican candidate before.
“Many, if not most of them are young, small donors, and that is quite distinctive for our campaign,” Ramaswamy told the Post.
J. Miles Coleman, associate editor for Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said Ramaswamy’s recent poll performance is promising: “He has some favorable polls. It’s not just an outlier. He seems to be on a good trend line.”
Coleman believes that Ramaswamy could be picking voters from DeSantis, who has been falling in the polls for several months. He also believes that the gains could come down to an attractive personal profile.
Ramaswamy gains popularity within the Republican electorate
“Her biography is favorable,” Coleman told The Post. “Especially since Trump came along, the Republican electorate has really liked the profile of this outsider businessman.”
That outsider status has allowed Ramaswamy to set himself apart with a radical decentralization campaign, including promises to restructure the IRS and many other federal agencies.
Despite his political inexperience, Ramaswamy has made bold claims about efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine and sever ties between China and Russia.
However, his biggest weakness is that he repeats the same speech as former President Trump, the clear favorite of the Republicans and with a four-year job that marked his status as a successful President for the majority of Americans in the midst of the debacle. economic crisis caused by the Biden administration.
Ramaswamy intends to make concessions to Russia, such as ceding the Donbas region and agreeing not to admit Ukraine to NATO, in exchange for the full dissolution of Russia’s military alliance with China.
Ramaswamy “has followed the Ted Cruz model of trying not to offend the millions of Trump supporters” and that has so far served him well, but not enough to catch Trump’s popularity.
However, he could be a key figure in the Trump administration if he stands firm and the former president retakes the White House.
Ramaswamy’s strategy has gone down well and been praised by Trump-supporting quarters. In fact, Make America Great Again Incorporated congratulated him on his increasing rise in the polls.
Ramaswamy intends to make concessions to Russia, such as ceding the Donbas region and agreeing not to admit Ukraine to NATO, in exchange for the full dissolution of Russia’s military alliance with China.
