Vivek Ramaswamy has bowed out of the presidential race after a fourth-place finish in the Iowa caucuses.
Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur with no prior political experience, gained attention by championing former President Donald Trump and promoting far-right concepts. His decision to suspend the campaign came as Trump secured a resounding victory in the Iowa caucuses.
Addressing his supporters, Ramaswamy admitted, “We did not achieve the surprise that we wanted to deliver tonight.”
Shortly after Trump’s triumph, Ramaswamy disclosed that he had personally congratulated the former president and pledged his full endorsement of Trump’s presidential candidacy, saying that he “will do everything” he can “to make sure he is the next US President.”
This comes shortly after Trump publicly attacked Ramaswamy on his Twitter-clone platform Truth Social. Trump called Ramaswamy “deceitful,” and warned voters to not be “duped” after the latter shared a photo of supporters wearing shirts that urged voters to “Save Trump. Vote Vivek.”
Ramaswamy’s campaign, marked by aggressive attacks on opponents and controversial policy proposals, initially gained momentum in late summer but faltered as the election season progressed. When he entered the race (for second place) in February, he advocated for radical measures, including raising the voting age to 25, dismantling the FBI and IRS, and terminating affirmative action through executive order.
Iowa Results
Not surprisingly Trump took 51% of the vote, of which, as of this writing 99% have been reported. Ron De Santis won the runner-up competition at 21.2%, while Nikki Haley, whose campaign gained traction later in the race, received 19.1%.
The extreme weather didn’t stop Trump from securing victory so quickly — the Associated Press called it just 30 minutes into caucusing. The voter turnout is turning out to be the lowest in 24 years. The weather was also the coldest at -10F.
Trump made sure to urge his supporters to vote at a rally on Sunday, telling them to do it even if they get sick, “Even if you vote and then pass away, it’s worth it, remember.”
Preliminary numbers from the state Republican Party show that only about 110,000 Republicans braved the frigid weather to cast their votes. This is much lower than the record high of 187,000 in 2016, and closer to the low of 87,000 in 2000.
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