GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy made headlines recently when he sparred with CNN host Don Lemon during an interview — an encounter many say contributed to the network firing Lemon on Monday. On Wednesday, Ramaswamy is in the news for a bold prediction regarding the 2024 election.
Ramaswamy, a successful businessman and political conservative, argued that his lack of political experience is an asset and that America needs an “outsider,” someone with business acumen and few ties to the Washington, D.C., beltway.
“We can have career politicians as governors of state — like Ron DeSantis,” Ramaswamy said. “But I don’t think we want the career politician in the White House, though, because that’s going to require dismantling — really gutting much of the government … [much of which was] created that class of professional politicians.”
Ramaswamy added that “dismantling” ineffective government systems “wouldn’t work unless you had an outsider.”
The GOP hopeful seemed to aim his comments at rising GOP star Ron DeSantis rather than former President Donald Trump, as he also qualifies as an “outsider” keen on “draining the swamp.”
Though Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has not yet declared his candidacy, he has been included in many straw polls — showing him capable of beating President Joe Biden in a head-to-head race.
In a memo released on Wednesday, the Ramaswamy campaign team asserted that “by late 2023,” Vivek will “rise in the polls” and overtake DeSantis as the main challenger to Trump to be the GOP nominee.
Ben Yoho, the chief executive officer for the Vivek 2024 campaign, released the memo.
Yoho noted he believes DeSantis “will falter” as tensions continue to escalate between the governor and Trump at which point Ramaswamy will become a strong contender in the race.
An excerpt from the memo reads: “As Trump and DeSantis continue to destroy each other over the summer and into the fall, GOP voters will be looking for a third alternative who is an outsider and embraces the Trump/America First agenda.”
Yoho added: “By early 2024, GOP Primary voters will have a clear choice between President Trump and the memories of America First 1.0, or Vivek Ramaswamy and the promise of America First 2.0.”
Recent polling shows that Ramaswamy polls at 2.6% and 3% among likely GOP voters in the key early primary states of Iowa and New Hampshire, respectively.
Though early, at this point, many do not view Ramaswamy as a serious contender in the race to be the GOP nominee.
Ramaswamy’s team memo notes that 75% of Republican voters “prefer an outsider” and that Ramaswamy will be more effective in moving forward the “America First mantle.”
The memo reads: “In contrast to Trump, Vivek will go even further based on first principles and moral conviction, in the tradition of President Reagan, rather than through vengeance, grievance, and victimhood.”
Yoho’s memo concluded by noting that “Vivek 2024 is quietly positioned to win early primaries and shock the world.”
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