Vivek overtakes DeSantis for second in GOP primary: poll

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy appears to have passed Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in the Republican primary and is now second only to former President Donald Trump.

A recent survey from Cygnal Polling & Analytics shows the former president claiming 53.3% support among likely voters, compared to 11.4% who backed Ramaswamy and 10.4% who preferred DeSantis. No other candidate earned double digit support.

The Florida governor's vote share has declined by a factor of three since earning a 29% high in March.

Conducted between Aug. 1-3, the survey questioned 2,000 likely voters and has a margin of error of +/- 2.16%.

Federal Elections Commission data shows that Ramaswamy's campaign has paid Cygnal multiple times in 2023.

The poll may be something of an outlier, however, as DeSantis maintains a 9.0% lead over Ramaswamy in the RealClearPolitics polling average, which includes the Cygnal survey. In that metric, the governor earns 15.1% support to Ramaswamy's 6.1%. Trump remains the clear frontrunner with 54.2% support.

Ramaswamy, formerly viewed as a longshot candidate, has surged in the polls since announcing his campaign and he is expected to appear on the Aug. 23 primary debate stage.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.