In a surprising turn of events, the latest Ohio Northern University poll revealed that businessman Vivek Ramaswamy has soared to second place in the Republican primary race, pushing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis down to third.
Anti-woke businessman Vivek Ramaswamy has moved to second place in Ohio’s Republican primary race. https://t.co/xVqKccsHZj
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) July 30, 2023
This shift in the political landscape has caught the attention of many Republicans across the country as Ramaswamy continues to shed the perception of an unserious challenger.
The poll, conducted from July 17-26, 2023, among 675 registered voters, asked respondents who they would be most likely to support among all GOP candidates in the party’s Presidential primary. Former President Donald Trump maintains a commanding lead with a staggering 64 percent support, leaving his competitors far behind.
Ramaswamy secured the second spot with 12 percent support, while DeSantis found himself trailing in third place with nine percent support.
The hypothetical show of support doesn’t end there. Former Vice President Mike Pence ranked fourth with six percent support, closely followed by former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley at three percent. The remaining candidates, including Sen. Tim Scott (R-), garnered two percent support or less, indicating a clear dominance of the top contenders.
These poll results are part of a broader trend that has seen Ramaswamy gain ground on DeSantis in other surveys as well. A recent Kaplan Strategies national survey put them neck and neck, both with 12 percent support.
Conservative commentators have been vocal about DeSantis’s campaign, expressing disappointment in its performance despite his promising start when he announced his bid in late May.
At the 2023 Turning Point Action Conference in West Palm Beach, Florida, Charlie Kirk criticized DeSantis’s campaign, saying the governor “is running a terrible campaign.”
“I mean, he’s a great governor, and when people try to rewrite his record as governor, I don’t think that’s fair. He’s been a great governor,” he said further, adding that “Vivek Ramaswamy is running the campaign that Ron DeSantis should be running.”
Kirk went on to predict that the anti-woke businessman would likely secure the second position, while DeSantis could finish anywhere from third to fifth.
