GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy urges for fresh leadership at Iowa house party

By Elizabeth Pereira, WEBN

Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy held a house party on Thursday night in Polk County, Iowa. With just days before Iowa’s caucuses, Ramaswamy urged the crowd of attendees to participate and advocate for him on Monday. 

Ramaswamy called Iowans to action saying, “You all have an important choice to make for this country, not for Iowa alone.” He declared this election a “1776 moment in this country,” saying if the founding fathers were in this room they’d say, “We still do have another 250 years left, but you’re going to have to seize it the same way we did.” 

Ramaswamy urged for a new generation of Republican leadership that does not include former President Donald Trump. “The America First agenda does not belong to Donald Trump,” Ramaswamy told WEBN. “Our country deserves a leader with fresh legs [who] can take our America First agenda to the next level.” 

Young voters in the crowd resonated with this message. First-time caucus attendee Akshita Kalimireddy told WEBN that political unity is what drives her decision. “If we have a Republican president, we don’t only need Republican policies, we need to help the country as a whole,” said Kalimireddy. She feels as though her family’s immigrant background pushed them to vote for one party over another stating, “It felt so bipartisan rather than the United States of America.” 

Although polls show Vivek Ramaswamy performing in single digits in Iowa just days before the caucus, Ramaswamy is unconcerned. He is confident in Iowans’ ability to make the right decision for the country.