The most unexpected campaign of the 2024 Republican primary reached its expected conclusion on Monday.
After a disappointing showing in Iowa’s caucus, Vivek Ramaswamy dropped out of the presidential race Monday night and endorsed the man he sought to imitate: Donald Trump.
“Earlier tonight I called Donald Trump to tell him that I congratulate him on his victory,” Ramaswamy told supporters in Des Moines. “And now going forward, he will have my full endorsement for the presidency.”
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For months, Ramaswamy had camped out in Iowa, hustling to win over a slice of the MAGA base and prove his bona fides as a new star on the right.
While the 38-year old anti-woke entrepreneur finishes his campaign with far more notoriety and a following that he didn’t have before, he clearly fell flat in Iowa.
With nearly all precincts reporting, Ramaswamy’s vote share hovered below 8 percent—far below his arch nemesis Nikki Haley, who placed third with roughly 19 percent of the vote, and Ron DeSantis, who claimed second with roughly 21 percent.
