Vivek Ramaswamy's popularity soars with remarkable fundraising post-debate

NEW DELHI: Vivek Ramaswamy, the accomplished biotech entrepreneur of Indian-American descent, witnessed a remarkable boost in his popularity and online fundraising efforts following his outstanding performance in the inaugural Republican presidential primary debate. As reported by the Ramaswamy campaign, the 38-year-old presidential hopeful managed to raise over $450,000 within the first hour after the Wednesday debate, with an average donation amounting to $38
The entrepreneur who transitioned into politics found himself facing a major competition from three of his primary contenders: former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, former Vice President Mike Pence, and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
On Thursday popular Axis reported "In Trump's absence, Ramaswamy drives the GOP debate,".
The initial post-debate poll revealed that out of 504 respondents, 28 percent believed that Ramaswamy delivered the strongest performance. Following closely was Florida Governor Ron DeSantis with 27 percent, while Pence garnered 13 percent of the votes. Indian-American Haley secured seven percent of the vote.
Fox News reported that, for the inaugural Republican presidential debate, Ramaswamy ranked as the most Googled GOP candidate. Following closely behind was his fellow Indian-American, Haley.
Both the Indian-Americans were standing next to each other on the debate stage.
The Wall Street Journal reported “Vivek Ramaswamy Grabs Spotlight at First Republican Primary Debate”. In its editorial, the editorial board expressed criticism of his foreign policy proposals and remarked these proposals would not get him into the White House.
Ramaswamy, a second-generation Indian-American, started Roivant Sciences in 2014. Under his leadership, the company executed the biggest biotech IPOs of 2015 and 2016. According to his bio, this endeavor eventually resulted in successful clinical trials across various disease domains, ultimately leading to FDA-approved products.
The financial daily said “Vivek Ramaswamy, the political novice, grabbed the spotlight at Wednesday's prime-time GOP presidential debate, but there was little sign he or any other contender had found a new strategy for overtaking front-runner Donald Trump”.
The New York Times wrote “With unchecked confidence and insults, the biotech entrepreneur baited his rivals into skirmishes that dominated Republicans' first debate”.
While The Daily wrote “He came in hot, slamming his rivals, smiling wide and showing little deference to the more experienced candidates on stage”.
NBC News labeled the first debate as “Vivek Ramaswamy Show”.
“That's our top takeaway from last night's first GOP presidential debate, where the political newcomer Ramaswamy seized the mantle as Donald Trump's defender - but also bore the brunt of attacks from rivals on his inexperience and foreign-policy positions” reported the news channel.
According to this, Ramaswamy was targeted 11 times by his rivals during the debate. As reported by Messenger, a rapidly expanding online news portal, the debate contributed to the surge in Ramaswamy's popularity.
It said ‘Vivek Ramaswamy sparred with Mike Pence. He battled Chris Christie. And he picked a fight with Nikki Haley. The longshot candidate and entrepreneur dominated the debate stage on Wednesday night, using his outlier policy views to grab attention and stoke the outrage of his opponents. Ramaswamy also gave his rivals an opponent to attack without alienating Trump supporters or elevating the second-place DeSantis’.
After the debate, Ramaswamy appeared confident and informed reporters that, in his view, only two candidates would remain in the race: himself and former President Donald Trump. During the debate, he characterized Trump as one of the standout presidents of the 21st century. Ramaswamy stated, "I was the clear winner of the night. But we are just getting started...My sense is that it landed very well. Pretty soon it'll be down to a two-horse race between Trump and myself,"
Ramaswamy, the biotech investor, possesses a fortune exceeding USD 950 million. Just a week ago, his net worth was over the USD 1 billion mark, making him one of the 20 youngest billionaires in the US. However, according to Forbes, a recent market downturn has nudged him just below the billion-dollar threshold.
However, Ramaswamy seems to be the the second-richest contender in the Republican presidential primary, trailing only former US President Donald Trump (Forbes last estimated his net worth at USD 2.5 billion).