Conservative businessman Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign said Friday that he set a new fundraising record in the day following the first GOP presidential debate.
Ramaswamy is a long shot in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, but he has gained some momentum in recent months. He is seen as a potential alternative to Donald Trump, and he has appealed to some voters with his anti-woke message.
Ramaswamy first launched his presidential campaign in February in an interview with Tucker Carlson, where he pledged to take on America’s “national identity crisis.”
Ramaswamy made his presidential debate debut on August 25, 2023, alongside Republican heavyweights like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.
He was praised by many for his performance in the debate, and his campaign said he raised $600,000 in the hours following the debate.
In other news: Poll: Florida Gov. DeSantis Was Clear Winner Of First Debate Among GOP Voters Who Watched
“To come out as the winner tonight when it was my first ever political debate is something that, frankly, exceeded even my own expectations,” Ramaswamy told reporters after the debate. “I think it’s going to be a quick path to getting to a two-horse race between Trump and myself.”
Ramaswamy broke from other GOP hopefuls on the debate stage with his outspoken stances on Ukraine funding, climate change and more.
Internet searches for Ramaswamy surged following the debate, exceeding other candidates like Haley and former President Donald Trump, who skipped the event, according to Google Trends. The former president wrote on Truth Social that Ramaswamy had a “big win” with the first debate.
The RealClearPolitics (RCP) average for a 2024 national Republican primary, based on polls conducted between Aug. 10 and Aug. 21, indicates Ramaswamy has 7.2% support, behind only Trump and DeSantis with 55.4% to 14.3%, respectively.
Trump Praised Ramaswamy
Former President Donald Trump said that fellow Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy gained a “big win” in the first primary debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Wednesday.
Ramaswamy has taken a variety of pro-Trump positions during his candidacy, including vowing to pardon Trump if he is convicted in the federal criminal proceedings currently underway against him. In response to further praise from Ramaswamy during the debate, Trump claimed that Vivek was the winner of the debate, according to comments he posted on TruthSocial.
“This answer gave Vivek Ramaswamy a big WIN in the debate because of a thing called TRUTH. Thank you Vivek!,” Trump wrote. He referred to a comment by Ramaswamy that “President Trump, I believe, was the best president in the 21st century. It’s a fact,” which drew applause from the crowd in attendance.
In the news Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie Calls Ramaswamy An ‘Amateur’ Obama
Trump, who leads the Republican presidential nomination contest by 41% across an average of polls, declined to attend the debate, citing his large lead in the polls.
“The public knows who I am & what a successful Presidency I had … I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!,” he wrote, also on TruthSocial.
A pre-taped interview with Trump by former Fox News host Tucker Carlson was published on Twitter during the debate.
Ramaswamy currently has 7.2% support across an average of polls, according to RealClearPolitics, placing him third behind Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, whose support has declined in recent weeks.
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