Vivek Ramaswamy Shines at First GOP Primary Debate – The American Spectator

While former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have largely dominated the Republican presidential nomination race so far, it was Vivek Ramaswamy who stood out at the first Republican primary debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Wednesday night.

Trump opted to skip the debate and instead released a prerecorded interview with Tucker Carlson around the same time the debate was held, a move aimed at deflecting attention away from his rivals and punishing the debate’s host, Fox News. Trump was also gearing up to surrender himself to authorities in Atlanta on charges related to election interference.

Ramaswamy, a wealthy entrepreneur and political newcomer, managed to outshine his seven competitors on the stage, including DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson. 

Ramaswamy made a lasting impression with bold statements, such as calling for a “war on the federal administrative state” and stressing the need for a new generation to tackle the nation’s problems. While labeling Trump “the best president of the 21st century,” he criticized his opponents on the stage as “super PAC puppets” who relied on preprepared slogans. At one point, he declared, “I’m the only person on the stage who isn’t bought and paid for.” 

During and hours after the debate, Ramaswamy became the most-searched candidate on Google. Even before the debate, Ramaswamy had been climbing in national polls, challenging DeSantis for the second-place position in the GOP nomination race. According to the FiveThirtyEight average of polls, Ramaswamy has about 10 percent support among GOP voters nationally, while DeSantis and Trump stand at around 15 percent and 50 percent, respectively.  

Even though overtaking Trump still seems improbable, Ramaswamy’s debate performance will provide further momentum to his campaign.

RELATED:

Tim Scott’s Poor Debate Performance Seems to Doom Campaign