Vivek Ramaswamy's bid for the Republican nomination seems to be gaining considerable momentum, as evidenced by polling data that increasingly substantiates his position as one of the top five, and perhaps even top three, candidates.
The initial reports of a Ramaswamy surge began to materialize earlier this month, and subsequent data has debunked the notion that these polls may have been outliers. In fact, based on the RealClearPolitics polling average, Ramaswamy has garnered 5.5% support, placing him fourth overall. Notably, he trails just behind former Vice President Mike Pence, who secured 5.6% in that metric.
It is worth mentioning that the average incorporates at least two older surveys where Pence was either tied or significantly ahead of Ramaswamy. Nevertheless, it also includes recent survey results from Harvard-Harris, which revealed that Ramaswamy holds third place with 10% support, as compared to Pence's 7%. In second place is Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantiswith 12% support, while former President Donald Trump remains the clear frontrunner with an overwhelming 52% support.
Furthermore, Ramaswamy is expected to take the Republican debate stage on Aug. 23, representing one of the seven campaigns that have met the polling requirements, according to CNN's latest report. Poll data from Iowa and South Carolina conducted by Fox Business seemingly played a crucial role in pushing him over the threshold in that category. Moreover, on Saturday, Ramaswamy announced that his campaign has successfully met the Republican National Committee's fundraising requirements.
In addition to Ramaswamy, Trump, DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have all met the polling requirements and claim to have met the donor threshold as well.
Although Pence's campaign appears to have met the polling requirements, they state that they have yet to reach the donor threshold. On the other hand, South Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum's campaign asserts that they have met the donor threshold.