US: Vivek Ramaswamy most favored Republican presidential candidate after Trump
Indian-American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy is reportedly the most popular Republican candidate after Donald Trump in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination in New Hampshire. According to a recent CNN poll, Ramaswamy has surpassed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who was previously viewed as Trump's main rival. The survey also suggested Trump is still the most popular Republican leader in the US presidential race, with around 39% of likely GOP primary voters supporting him.
Republican voters back 2 Indian-American US presidential candidates
In the survey, Ramaswamy received 13% support, closely followed by fellow Indian-American candidate and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who received 12% support. While former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie received 11% support, it was learned that DeSantis saw a significant drop in popularity amongst Republican voters and ranked fifth with just 6% support ahead of the much-anticipated presidential polls.
Key reasons behind Ramaswamy's recent popularity spike
Ramaswamy's recent rise in popularity is concentrated more among younger likely voters and those who are not registered Republicans. On the other hand, Haley's rise in support is slightly higher among those with more formal education and among moderates. Moreover, the survey also showed that approximately 51% of likely Republican primary voters believe that Trump has the best chance of winning the much-anticipated presidential polls in the US next year.
DeSantis drops to 5th place
Per the poll, DeSantis' decline is due to a huge drop in support among moderates, which has dropped from 26% in July to 6% presently. He lost eight points among conservatives. Despite his dismal showing in New Hampshire, the average of national polls conducted by FiveThirtyEight places DeSantis in second place, behind Trump, with 14.2% support; Ramaswamy is in third place with 7%. Trump's average as of Wednesday stood at 55.3%.
All you need to know about Ramaswamy
Born in Ohio to immigrant parents, Ramaswamy is a multimillionaire and a former biotech executive. The 38-year-old entrepreneur is also the founder of Roivant Sciences, currently valued at around $6.3 billion. Ramaswamy's parents allegedly immigrated to the US from southern India with no money nearly four decades ago, and he believes that the "American dream" will cease to exist for forthcoming generations unless steps are taken.
Many people are annoyed by my rise: Ramaswamy
Alleging how some people were "annoyed" by his rise, Ramaswamy told Fox News Sunday, "We have been taking intense criticism over the last several weeks since I performed well on that second debate, and this is part of the process." "The reality is many people are annoyed by my rise and believe that a 38-year-old is too young to be US president," he added.
