Poll: Vivek Ramaswamy Ties for Second with Ron DeSantis

Anti-woke businessman Vivek Ramaswamy is tied with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for second place in the Republican primary race, a Kaplan Strategies survey released Thursday found.

The survey concluded that Ramaswamy has made “significant strides” since jumping into the presidential race, going from the bottom tier to tying for second place with double digit support alongside DeSantis.

As is consistent in other surveys, former President Donald Trump leads the pack with a double-digit advantage — 36 points ahead of his nearest competitors — with 48 percent support.

Ramaswamy ended up tying with DeSantis for second place with 12 percent support.

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Both former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Tim Scott came seven points behind with five percent support each. Four percent chose former Vice President Mike Pence, and three percent chose former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

One percent chose former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and ten percent, overall, remain undecided.

“Ramaswamy outperformed six other hopefuls by more than double, marking a significant surprise in this poll,” Doug Kaplan, founder of Kaplan Strategies, said, predicting that it is likely “lower-tier candidates” will “drop off,” causing their voters to turn to either Trump, Ramaswamy, or DeSantis.

More via the survey:

Despite DeSantis’ favorable rating of 59 percent amongst GOP voters, Kaplan suggests that Ramaswamy may have the potential for a higher ceiling, as he is less well-known amongst Republican voters, with a 27 percent Uncertain rate.

Meanwhile, the poll underscores the unwavering support President Trump holds within the GOP, despite the crowded field challenging him. Trump boasts a combined 69 percent favorability rating, leaving little room for uncertainty.

The survey was taken July 17-18, 2023, among 800 likely voters and has a +/- 3.5 percent margin of error.

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Ramaswamy’s rise has been captured in other surveys as well. The latest Echelon Insights survey, for example, found him breaking into the double digits with ten percent support — six points behind DeSantis. The latest Morning Consult survey also found a majority viewing Ramaswamy favorably, and that same survey found him climbing to third place with eight percent support.

Recently, Ramaswamy signed the  Concerned Women for America‘s “Presidential Promise to American Women,” reaffirming that there are “two sexes, period.”