COLUMBUS – Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy drew a standing ovation at the Georgia GOP convention on Friday as he pitched his longshot bid to the White House to some of the state’s most conservative voters.
The wealthy 37-year-old entrepreneur and author pledges to end teachers’ unions, deploy the military to the U.S. southern border to prevent fentanyl smuggling, and raise the voting age from 18 to 25 with exceptions for those who serve in the military or pass a civics test.
The delegates showered Ramaswamy with polite, then warm, applause as he pledged an end to the “administrative state” and vowed to pursue a more aggressive foreign policy to sideline China.
He’s one of several White House contenders set to address the two-day convention in Columbus. Former President Donald Trump and ex-Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson also plan to speak.
Although Ramaswamy has never held elective office and is hardly surfacing in public polls, he has vowed to spend more than $100 million on his campaign and has drawn sizable crowds at some stops in early-voting states.
“We’re done running from something,” Ramaswamy said. “Now it’s time to start running for something.”
