Vivek Ramaswamy Endorsed By Former Iowa Rep. Steve King

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy participates in the fourth Republican presidential primary debate at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Dec. 6, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Former Iowa Rep. Steve King has offered his endorsement of GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who he believes is “the strongest voice” for defending the Constitution of the United States.

Mr. King, who served nine terms in Congress representing northwestern Iowa from 2003 to 2021, announced in a video address on Jan. 3 that he “heartily endorsed” Mr. Ramaswamy for president.

“I’ve been looking for the strongest voice we have that will defend our Constitution and restore the pillars of American exceptionalism. That’s Vivek Ramaswamy,” he remarked.

Mr. King also supports Mr. Ramaswamy’s position on constructing a wall along the U.S.–Canada border to combat the illegal trafficking of fentanyl into the United States, along with the U.S.–Mexico wall started by former President Donald Trump.

“He is standing up for the rights of we the people. He will build the wall on the border for real and I’m asking you to come with me on Jan. 15, caucus for Vivek Ramaswamy,” Mr. King added.

“The strongest voice we have to defend our Constitution and to reestablish America’s destiny is Vivek Ramaswamy.”

Mr. King, who had a long history of making racially charged comments, was ousted in 2020 from the Republican ballot after members of his party supported Randy Feenstra following a scandal in which Mr. King asked when terms like “white nationalist” had become offensive.

His controversial remarks sparked bipartisan calls for his removal from Congress, leading to the loss of his seats on committees and rendering him an ineffective representative for his constituents.

Despite that, Mr. Ramaswamy said he is “proud to have Steve King’s endorsement.” He believes that Mr. King has been “villainized by the media” following his remarks in 2019.

“I just reject a lot of this mainstream media narrative thing,” he told reporters.

On his endorsement, Mr. Ramaswamy said they found common cause in issues that other Republican candidates are afraid to speak out about, such as opposing carbon dioxide pipelines and the use of eminent domain to seize the land of innocent farmers.

“Steve King was America First before it was cool. The likes of Steve King & Pat Buchanan were the OGs. He doesn’t back down from a fight and he certainly doesn’t bow to the Establishment. Grateful for his endorsement,” Mr. Ramaswamy stated on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Ramaswamy’s Campaign Halts TV Ad Spending

According to the RealClearPolitics average of Republican Primary polls, President Trump maintains a dominating lead at 62.5 percent, followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 11.3 percent, and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley at 11 percent.

Mr. Ramaswamy trails behind in fourth place with just 4 percent, according to the poll.

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) speaks to a member of the audience ahead of a campaign rally inside of the Knapp Center arena at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 30, 2020. Tom Brenner/Getty Images

He also recently placed fourth in the latest Emerson College poll in Iowa, which shows President Trump leading the way with 50 percent support among Republican caucus voters.

Mr. Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur, had stopped purchasing standard broadcast TV ads—which typically make up the majority of political advertising spending in the United States—with just weeks to go until the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary.

Instead, his campaign is focusing on a different strategy to reach out to voters, such as addressable advertising, mail, text, live calls, and doors, according to a campaign representative.

Mr. Ramaswamy said that presidential TV ad spending is “idiotic,” comes with a low return on investment, and is a “trick that political consultants use to bamboozle candidates who suffer from low IQ.”

“We’re doing it differently. Spending $$ in a way that follows data…apparently a crazy idea in US politics,” the GOP presidential candidate wrote on X on Dec. 27. “Big surprise coming on Jan 15.”

Victoria Kelly-Clark and Katabella Roberts contributed to this report.