Vivek Ramaswamy claimed he first voted in 2020 — now he admits that was wrong

[mystery-ak]

Vivek Ramaswamy claimed he first voted in 2020 — now he admits that was wrong
by Gabe Kaminsky, Investigative Reporter |
July 26, 2023 07:00 AM


EXCLUSIVE — Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy admitted he made false claims about his voting history after the Washington Examiner confronted the 2024 Republican contender with state election records.

Ramaswamy notably asserted in two interviews released on June 30 and July 12 that he did not vote until 2020, when he backed former President Donald Trump over now-President Joe Biden. However, the wealthy entrepreneur actually first voted in the 2004 presidential election for the late Libertarian nominee Michael Badnarik, according to Ramaswamy as well as Ohio database records in Butler and Franklin counties.

"It was a throwaway vote," Ramaswamy said in an interview with the Washington Examiner, emphasizing he purportedly forgot about heading to the polls in 2004, when he was 19, and "was disgusted" at the time with both Republican George W. Bush and Democrat John Kerry, the other nominees. "A throwaway vote in that I knew it was a candidate who was not going to win."

The White House hopeful's campaign had initially said Ramaswamy didn't remember who he voted for after this reporter contacted it with the state records, which list his political participation but not specific candidates. His campaign previously claimed Ramaswamy thought he "must have voted Republican" in 2004 but then said he voted for Badnarik.

"I was very cynical and jaded," the 2024 candidate said, later adding that he didn't remember the 2004 vote because "it wasn't meaningful to me" since Ramaswamy had just graduated High school. "I remember being, as I was, very disaffected. John Kerry versus George Bush left me deeply uninspired. And, you know, I didn't think my vote was going to make a difference."

more
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/vivek-ramaswamy-2020-election-voting-records-republican-presidential

[Kamaji]

That was a stupid prat-fall. 

[Sighlass]

While Ramaswamy punched the 2004 ticket for a Libertarian, he is not the only 2024 GOP presidential hopeful who didn't always vote Republican.

Trump famously was a registered Democrat and changed his party affiliations through the years before getting elected in 2016, telling CNN's Wolf Blitzer in 2004, “In many cases, I probably identify more as Democrat." 

I was fortunate to get to vote for Reagan in my first round.... He was a democrat at one time.... Locally several politicians were democrat at one time... Some just became Rinos.

Not too proud of my votes for Bush, but it is what it is, my learning experience of what a Conservative in name only was.

[DefiantMassRINO]

D'oh!  These are the gaffes that cost candidates trust from the voters.

Too many GOP candidates run away from who they are, what they truly believe, and how they voted in the past to cynically portray what they think the voters want.

I don't mind a genuine candidate that's made past mistakes, and owns them.

[Kamaji]

D'oh!  These are the gaffes that cost candidates trust from the voters.

Too many GOP candidates run away from who they are, what they truly believe, and how they voted in the past to cynically portray what they think the voters want.

I don't mind a genuine candidate that's made past mistakes, and owns them.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

I still think this guy is D.O.A. because of his idea to raise the voting age to 25.  He will get absolutely hammered on that if he gets to the point where he's a thread.

[berdie]

I still think this guy is D.O.A. because of his idea to raise the voting age to 25.  He will get absolutely hammered on that if he gets to the point where he's a thread.

Although I don't think it's a bad idea...you are right. He'll get hammered.

[libertybele]

I was fortunate to get to vote for Reagan in my first round.... He was a democrat at one time.... Locally several politicians were democrat at one time... Some just became Rinos.

Not too proud of my votes for Bush, but it is what it is, my learning experience of what a Conservative in name only was.

Same here.  Nor will I ever vote again for a candidate to vote against another -- that's just a wrong vote in disguise.  I will only vote for a conservative; nothing less.

[berdie]

I was fortunate to get to vote for Reagan in my first round.... He was a democrat at one time.... Locally several politicians were democrat at one time... Some just became Rinos.

Not too proud of my votes for Bush, but it is what it is, my learning experience of what a Conservative in name only was.

Well, GW did a pretty darn good during 9/11. We could have had Algore. No, his second term wasn't great. But in reality, most presidents' second term are crappy. So maybe our votes weren't too bad.

[libertybele]

Well, GW did a pretty darn good during 9/11. We could have had Algore. No, his second term wasn't great. But in reality, most presidents' second term are crappy. So maybe our votes weren't too bad.

I get it, but that's like saying if Trump didn't win we could have had Hillary.  Unfortunately, the end result is the same; open borders, push for going green, socialistic agenda .... very little of what Trump did remains. 

I'll say it again, it is imperative that we seat a true conservative and so far DeSantis is getting smeared by Trump and unless a miracle is bestowed upon us, Trump will be the nominee.  I think the general consensus is that Trump won't win the general.

This country doesn't have another chance to get things wrong.  AI, wokeness, open borders, and getting rid of the U.S. dollar doesn't exactly equal a Republic that will still be standing.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Although I don't think it's a bad idea...you are right. He'll get hammered.

The other part of it was exceptions for those who serve in the military or public safety, etc. for six months.

Six months was an even bigger red flag for me, because nobody who has the tiniest clue about the military or being a cop believes that six months of service is worth a bucket of warm spit.  In a lot of military specialties, you'd still be in school at that point.  And even if you weren't, you'd be so green as to be pretty much useless in the modern military.  And that tells me that despite being 37 years old, he has led an incredibly sheltered life.

I like his general approach of how he sees government, but this stuff strikes me as a guy with a whole lot of intelligence and absolutely zero common sense/practical life experience.