WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy polls at 8% in Iowa, but his backers and some analysts say it is the tip of the iceberg and may be enough to block former President Donald Trump from the historic landslide win he wants in Monday’s caucuses.
This calculus explains Mr. Trump’s sudden attack on the man who’s been his biggest fan in the Republican presidential race. On the cusp of Iowa’s leadoff caucuses, Mr. Trump gave Mr. Ramaswamy the Trojan horse treatment — warning voters that the man who had showered him with effusive praise for months is untrustworthy.
“Vivek started his campaign as a great supporter, ’the best President in generations,’ etc,” Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social. “Unfortunately, now all he does is disguise his support in the form of deceitful campaign tricks,” he said.
“Very sly, but a vote for Vivek is a vote for the ’other side’ — don’t get duped by this. Vote for ’TRUMP,’ don’t waste your vote!” Mr. Trump said.
His abrupt turn on Mr. Ramaswamy underscored how the Trump acolyte is a wild card in the caucuses — so much so that there are concerns among Trump supporters that Mr. Ramaswamy could cut the former president’s likely victory to below the 50% historic margin he hopes to win.
Mr. Ramaswamy polled too low to qualify for the final pre-caucus debate held Wednesday in Des Moines. But the biotech tycoon has been greeted by robust crowds while relentlessly campaigning despite snowstorms that forced Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley to cancel events.
In a social media post that caught the Trump team’s attention, Mr. Ramaswamy shared a picture of himself posing with a group of young men sporting “SAVE TRUMP — VOTE VIVEK” T-shirts.
His campaign team says Mr. Ramaswamy’s support is significantly undercounted and he is poised to beat expectations on Monday.
“The big question is whether [Mr. Trump’s opponents] can hold Trump below 50%,” pollster Ron Faucheux said. “Anybody who takes votes from him is a factor, especially Ramaswamy.”
Mr. Ramaswamy’s team in Iowa told The Washington Times that half of those who have attended his Hawkeye State campaign events are not yet registered to vote and were not included in traditional polling.
This pool of potential supporters can still participate in the caucus and would add to Mr. Ramaswamy’s tally if his campaign team can persuade them to turn out at the caucuses, where they can register the same day.
Ramaswamy campaign spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said the support that shows up in polls represents only a quarter of her candidate’s actual support.
“So long as our get-out-the-vote efforts and ground game can really bring these people out, I think he really is in a position to really shock people on the 15th,” Ms. McLaughlin told The Times.
Mr. Ramaswamy would likely pull much of that support from Mr. Trump, who has touted his “scary” enormous lead in the polls while at the same time warning his supporters not to get complacent and stay home on Monday.
The 38-year-old Mr. Ramaswamy, meanwhile, has campaigned as a next-generation Trump — generously praising the former president’s policies and defending him against efforts to block him from the ballot in more than a dozen states.
At the same time, he has proclaimed himself as the Trump successor who can deliver “America first” policies more ably than the 77-year-old former president, who is embattled in legal fights and fiercely opposed by the political and media establishment that is determined to thwart a second Trump administration.
He doubled down on that message after coming under fire from Mr. Trump.
“I’ve met tens of thousands of Iowans across 390+ events here, and they are deeply worried — and so am I — that this ‘system’ won’t allow Donald J. Trump anywhere near the White House again. It seems they will stop at *nothing* to keep him away from power,” he said in a written statement.
The final Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll showed Mr. Ramaswamy at 8%, trailing Ms. Haley at 20% and Mr. DeSantis at 16%.
Mr. Trump came in at 48%, marking a slight slip from last month, when he eclipsed 50%.
Before the Trump-Ramaswamy spat, Gary Leffler, a Trump supporter and caucus captain volunteer, predicted that Mr. Ramaswamy would finish with upwards of 20% of the vote.
“The guy is knocking the ball out of the park,” he said of Mr. Ramaswamy, who has barnstormed the state in the final days of the campaign.
While a pair of snowstorms drove some candidates off the trail, it did not stop Mr. Ramaswamy from continuing his breakneck pace.
Mr. Leffler said he was shocked to see 150 people turn out for a recent Ramaswamy event held during a blizzard.
“When I walked in, I thought there would be 20 or 30 people there,” Mr. Leffler said.
Instead, there were 150 in attendance.
“I was blown away,” he said.
• Susan Ferrechio reported from Jacksonville, Florida.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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