More national polls show Vivek Ramaswamy eclipsing Ron DeSantis

Two new national polls show Vivek Ramaswamy surging in the GOP presidential race at Ron DeSantis’ expense.

One poll shows Ramaswamy in second place by himself, while the other says the race for runner up is a dead heat.

The polling comes out after a memo from the DeSantis camp outlined plans to target Ramaswamy in Wednesday’s GOP debate in Milwaukee, a document Ramaswamy has mocked already, contending that the “robotic” DeSantis is a “super PAC puppet.”

A poll of 1,017 likely GOP primary and caucus voters from Echelon Insights, commissioned by the Republican Main Street Partnership, shows Ramaswamy in second place by himself with 15% support, four points more than DeSantis’ 11%.

“Ramaswamy has continued to rise in polls, performing particularly well among parents (20%) and suburban women (19%),” asserts a polling memo accompanying the results.

Both men are way behind former President Donald Trump’s 55%.

“While Donald Trump remains the frontrunner, Republican voters seeking an alternative candidate are beginning to coalesce around a few top-tier choices. For much of the past year that was Gov. DeSantis, but Vivek Ramaswamy has risen well above expectations and is currently leading the pack of challengers,” notes Sarah Chamberlain, RMSP President and CEO.

“Voters are clearly hungry for something new – no group more than the suburban women who often decide elections. If Mr. Ramaswamy, Gov. DeSantis, or any of the other hopefuls want a serious chance at winning the nomination, appealing to those voters should be top priority.”

The Echelon poll was in the field from Aug. 15 through Aug. 17.

Meanwhile, a new Emerson College Poll shows a tie for second place. Both Ramaswamy and DeSantis are at 10%, with Trump at 56%. But the interesting subplot is the diverging fortunes of the two second-placers.

“DeSantis’ support has decreased by eleven points over the summer, while Ramaswamy’s support has increased by eight points,” a polling memo states.

“Ramaswamy has improved among Republican voters with a postgraduate degree, a group that has previously been part of the DeSantis’ base,” polling director Spencer Kimball said. “In the June Emerson poll, 38% of postgraduates supported DeSantis in the primary, which has dropped to 14% this month. Instead, 17% support Ramaswamy and 32% Trump.”

Kimball continued, “Ramaswamy has made inroads among younger Republican Primary voters: 16% of voters under 35 support Ramaswamy, compared to 48% who support Trump and 15% DeSantis. DeSantis still holds 12% of voters over 65, while Trump holds 50% among this group and Ramaswamy holds 3%.”