Ever since last week’s Republican presidential primary debate, Vivek Ramaswamy has found himself with more money, more name recognition and dramatically negative focus from his rivals.
The first-time candidate’s performance was a breakout moment for him. His very appearance on the debate stage was a coup for his campaign, given that Ramaswamy has no prior experience as an elected official and had never before appeared at such an event. Ramaswamy, though, stood out in demonstrating his ability to jab at better-known and more experienced candidates, all while figuring out a way to praise Donald Trump as he competes to beat the former president in the 2024 Republican primary.
In short, the knives are out for Ramaswamy.
“Everyone is out there picking on poor Vivek,” said Michael Dennehy, a longtime Republican strategist who advised presidential candidates Rick Perry and John McCain and also served as a strategist for former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour.
“Vivek has an unlimited amount of resources, which obviously frustrates the candidates who have to raise money every single day. Secondly, he has a delivery and air about him that frustrates politicians – for lack of a better term. He is running very much like Donald Trump did in 2016. He’s running against the political status quo. So the other candidates take great afront to it. And finally, I will say because he’s worked hard, because he’s spent so much money, he’s gone up in the polls. He’s attracted a decent amount of grassroots support and, again, I believe it drives the other candidates crazy as a guy that has never entered the political arena in any form before,” Dennehy said.
Since Ramaswamy’s debate performance, his adversaries have begun to direct some of their public and private attacks away from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis – second in polling only to Trump and further…
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