What are Vivek Ramaswamy’s views on issues that matter to voters?

Share and Follow

(NewsNation) — Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy launched his long-shot bid for the White House in February, and six months later, he was standing in the middle of the stage for the first Republican primary debate.

At 38 years old, he’s the youngest candidate in the GOP field and has built a campaign around wanting to “revive” a “missing national identity” and further an “America First” agenda first ushered in by his rival and current GOP front-runner, former President Donald Trump.

Born in Cincinnati to Indian immigrant parents, Ramaswamy went to Harvard and later Yale Law School. In 2014, he founded biotech company Roivant Sciences, a publicly traded company now worth more than $7 billion. He is also the co-founder and executive chairman of investment firm Strive Asset Management. Forbes estimates his net worth is at least $630 million.

After seeing a surge in polls following the first primary debate, Ramaswamy has slid back behind other GOP candidates heading into the start of the primary season, which kicks off in January in Iowa.

Ahead of the 2024 election, NewsNation is committed to covering the issues that matter most to voters so they can make the most informed choices possible at the polls.

Here’s a look at Ramaswamy’s policy positions and political views as he competes for your vote:

Violent crime and mental health

Guns, calls for ATF shutdown

Border crisis and immigration

Stance on Israel and Palestine, the war in Ukraine

Opposes full-fledged support for the war in Ukraine and frequently calls out “neocons” (neoconservatives) for supporting wars in general, including GOP contender Nikki Haley
At a NewsNation town hall in August, he said he’d make a “deal” with Russian President Vladimir Putin if elected to end the war in Ukraine and called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “fraud.”
After the start of the Israel-Hamas war, Ramaswamy urged a “cool-headed” response to avoid the situation devolving into a larger regional conflict.
Condemned the attack by Hamas but said the United States needs to carefully consider what actions it takes in the region

China’s aggression, TikTok and ‘opium war’

Education and civics test

Suggests young American citizens between 18 and 24 should have to pass a civics test in order to vote, similar to the one taken by those going through the naturalization process
Calls for the elimination of many federal agencies, including the Education Department, and instead send the department’s $80 billion in funding back to the localities
At a New Hampshire town hall in October hosted by the USA TODAY Network, he argued that education decisions should be in the hands of parents and not government agencies.
Rails against what he calls “woke culture,” which he says has “infected” schools and led to the indoctrination of children

Child care availability and costs

Ramaswamy says the “nuclear family” is key to success — defining families in traditional terms as a mother and father raising their children
Describes the CHIPS Act requirement that companies receiving federal funds provide child care for workers as an “interesting feature,” but it’s not clear if it was a comment in favor of or against the policy

Abortion

Does not support a federal ban on the procedure, according to NPR
However, has indicated support for six-week bans that have been enacted in many Republican states
Supports exceptions in abortion ban for cases involving rape, incest and when the mother’s life is in danger, Reuters reported
He shared for the first time publicly at an Iowa event that his wife suffered a miscarriage during her first pregnancy. Now, the couple has two kids, and he said, “When you bring life into this world, you protect all life, born and unborn.”

Fentanyl crisis, opioid epidemic

Economy and inflation

Ramaswamy’s economic platform is built around his desire to “unleash the American economy” and achieve a growth of the gross domestic product by more than 5%.
Calls for reforming the Federal Reserve by cutting 90% of its headcount and changing its mandate to “stabilizing the U.S. dollar as a reliable unit of measurement”
He released a plan for cryptocurrency that calls for repeals of Securities and Exchange Commission regulations and a path for the digital tokens to be considered commodities.

Rural infrastructure

An estimated 42 million Americans do not have access to broadband internet, creating challenges for both students and teachers in rural school districts across the country.