Poll: Vivek Ramaswamy Overtakes Ron DeSantis for Second Place in Republican Primary Field

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has overtaken Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) nationally for second place in the GOP primary field, according to a Kaplan Strategies poll. 

The poll, published on Monday, shows that 48 percent of GOP primary voters back Trump as he continues to dominate the field. Ramaswamy sits alone in second place with eleven percent, while DeSantis follows with ten percent:

Trump’s support is unchanged since Kaplan Strategies’ poll published in July, whereas DeSantis is down two points from when he and Ramaswamy were tied at twelve percent. The pair have been trending in opposite directions over the past few months, with Ramaswamy climbing and DeSantis sliding. 

Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a town hall event in Hollis, N.H., Tuesday, June 27, 2023 (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds).

Former Vice President Mike Pence is on DeSantis’s heels with eight percent after doubling his support since the poll that was taken from July 17-18. From there, former Govs. Nikki Haley (R-SC) and Chris Christie (R-NJ) tie at four percent. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) is down three points from July, garnering two percent in this poll, followed by Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND) with one percent. 

Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks to local residents during a meet and greet, May 23, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File).

Kaplan strategies sampled 800 registered likely GOP primary voters from August 9-10, and the margin of error (MOE) is ± 3.5 percentage points. 

Another poll published Monday shows Trump with an even stronger advantage over the field. The I&I/TIPP Insights poll found that 57 percent of likely Republican primary voters back him for the nomination, a four percent surge since July’s survey from the outfit. He sits 45 points ahead of DeSantis, who takes 12 percent of the vote share after dipping two points since July: 

Ramaswamy has climbed one point to eight percent, while Pence is down two points in this poll. Only eight percent of voters back someone else, while ten percent are undecided.

The poll sampled 529 Republicans and independent leaners between August 2-4. The MOE is ± 4.3 percent. 

I&I and TIPP Insights also gauged the Democrat side of things, finding President Joe Biden performs far worse in a hypothetical crowded field than Trump does. Only 37 percent of likely Democrat voters back him for the nomination, while ten percent would back former first lady Michelle Obama. Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) garnered six percent, followed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. with five percent. 

U.S. President Joe Biden in the Oval Office of the White House July 5, 2023, in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

That sample included 615 Democrats and left-leaning independents, and the MOE is ± four percent.