In a one-day four-city swing, conservative commentator Candace Owens will join 2024 hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy on the campaign trail in Iowa.
Owens, 34, was an initial critic of Trump before backing him in 2016 and 2020. The influential talking head among conservatives said in November that she is endorsing Ramaswamy.
Her full-fledged backing – but not official endorsement – of the self-made millionaire came after the NBC News debate in Miami, Florida. Ramaswamy was at possibly his most popular among the Republican voting bloc around this time and had several viral moments at the showdown.
The biotech entrepreneur is hitting Iowa hard with just eight days to the caucuses on January 15 – and four days before the first-in-the-nation contest, Owens is joining him.
Candace Owens is joining Vivek Ramaswamy in Iowa on Thursday to campaign for the 2024 hopeful just days before the caucuses. Pictured: Owens stopped short of endorsing Ramaswamy during an episode of her podcast in November after his viral performance at the NBC News debate
Ramaswamy completed earlier this month a feat visiting all 99 Iowa counties two times over – and will continue barnstorming the state in the lead-up to the caucuses on January 15, including four events with Owens four days before the contest
It comes after Ramaswamy completed a visit of all 99 counties in the Hawkeye State twice over earlier this month.
Ramaswamy will bring Owens with him to a rally in Davenport on Thursday. January 11, followed by a town hall in Jackson County. Then, the two will head to Dubuque and Linn Counties to finish off the full day of campaigning with two more rallies.
‘Candace is a conservative powerhouse. We’re thrilled to have her on the Iowa campaign trail with Vivek as he pounds the pavement ahead of the caucuses,’ campaign senior adviser Tricia McLaughlin told DailyMail.com in a statement on the upcoming events.
She added: ‘No one is outworking Vivek Ramaswamy and we’re ready for him to shock the world on Jan. 15.’
Ramaswamy had some polling boosts after blockbuster moments at debates that went viral, but has been consistently ending in fourth place behind Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley.
FiveThirtyEight polling average in Iowa shows Ramaswamy with 6 percent support. Haley is in third with 15.7 percent, DeSantis in second with 18.4 percent and Trump in far first place with 50 percent in the Hawkeye State.
Besides his day with Owens on January 11, Ramaswamy is barnstorming Iowa in the lead-up to the caucuses.
So far, there are 14 events spanning from January 8-January 10 – with more to come before the caucuses on January 15.
Ramaswamy earned some viral moments at the NBC News presidential primary debate in November, leading to Owens issuing her full endorsement the next day
Ramaswamy did not qualify for the last debate before the caucuses, hosted by CNN on Wednesday, January 10 at Drake University in Des Moines. He will instead host a ‘live audience show’ at the same tome while DeSantis and Haley take stage to go head-to-head.
He was also the only candidate of the 2024 race who completed the ‘full Grassley’ two times over. The feat is named after Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, and refers to a candidate visiting and campaigning in all 99 of Iowa’s counties.
Ramaswamy is unapologetically the most pro-Trump candidate of the remaining field, refusing to bad-mouth the former president and even praising the work he did between 2016-2020.
The 38-year-old, father-of-two claims America is ready for a new generation of leadership and has touted his millennial-ness, as well as his political newcomer status, as a positive aspect of his candidacy.