Are Voters Ditching Ron DeSantis for Vivek? – Former President Donald Trump continues to hold a dominant 40-point lead over his Republican primary contenders, according to a recent poll.
However, a noteworthy rank shift reveals that Vivek Ramaswamy has surged past Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to secure the second spot.
The poll paints a clear picture of Trump as the frontrunner for the GOP nomination, with a substantial 55 percent of likely primary voters expressing their support for the former president.
In contrast, RonDeSantis, who had long held the second-place position, has experienced a decline in popularity, slipping to third place.
An Emerson College poll has also shown Ron DeSantis and Ramaswamy tied in second place.
Can Ron DeSantis ‘take a sledgehammer’ to Ramaswamy?
It is also clear that DeSantis is increasingly perceiving the “anti-woke” CEO as a threat, with The Hill reporting that a freshly leaked memo from the Florida governor’s super PAC urged him to “take a sledgehammer” to Ramaswamy.
Vivek Ramaswamy, with 15 percent support, now claims the second-place position in the RNC debate qualifying poll. This result mirrors findings from a Kaplan Strategies poll released on Monday, which also placed Ramaswamy ahead of DeSantis.
Following DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence garnered four percent support, while Nikki Haley and Senator Tim Scott (R) received three percent each. Chris Christie was the only other candidate to secure at least one percent of the support.
The Republican Main Street Partnership, in collaboration with Echelon Insights, conducted the survey between August 15 and August 17, gathering responses from 1,017 likely Republican primary voters across the nation. The survey carries a margin of error of ±3.9 percent.
Trump 2.0?
The former pharmaceutical executive is yet to garner Trump-levels of enthusiasm, and yet many are pointing out some similarities between the pair.
Ramaswamy has even named his platform “America First 2.0,” in an attempt to build on Trump’s policies.
As Dylan Wells highlighted in a recent feature for The Washington Post, Ramaswamy has received positive mentions from Trump, who sees him as a potential challenger to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Ramaswamy’s unconventional approach and personal wealth make him a wild card in the GOP primary race, although some Republican strategists remain skeptical of his chances.
He has also made bold proposals such as using executive orders to disband the FBI, affirmative action “in every sphere of American life” and raising the voting age to 25.
However, his proposals have also faced criticism, with some viewing them as too extreme or unrealistic.
VP bid?
Other commentators have suggested Ramaswamy is angling for the Vice-Presidency.
However, this does not seem to be the case, at least not yet.
The entrepreneur told Fox News last week that he would refuse any offer to become someone else’s vice president if he fails to secure the GOP nomination in 2024.
He expressed disinterest in holding a different government position, emphasizing his preference for driving change through the private sector.
Georgia Gilholy is a journalist based in the United Kingdom who has been published in Newsweek, The Times of Israel, and the Spectator. Gilholy writes about international politics, culture, and education.
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