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Republican author and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy announced his presidential bid Tuesday. A multimillionaire, he recently told Politico that he is looking to Trump’s 2016 run as an example of how a businessman and political outsider can find success.
Ramaswamy launched his run aiming to solve what he calls a “national identity crisis,” staking his race on the country’s culture wars.
“Faith, patriotism and hard work have disappeared, only to be replaced by new secular religions, like Covidism, climatism, and gender ideology,” Ramaswamy said in his launch video. “We hunger to be part of something bigger than ourselves yet we cannot even answer the question of what it means to be an American.”
In other campaign news:
Virginia is for history makers: As expected, Democratic state Sen. Jennifer McClellan is projected to win Tuesday’s special election in Virginia’s 4th District and become the first Black woman to represent the state in Congress.
Biden preview: President Joe Biden’s speech in Poland on Tuesday voicing continued support for Ukraine offered a preview of some of his re-election messaging, NBC News’ Jonathan Allen reports.
DeSantis’ view of the world: DeSantis said during a Fox News interview that China poses a greater threat than Russia, and warned of U.S. involvement in Ukraine amounting to a “proxy war.”
Haley names names: Asked about her call for mental competency tests for politicians, GOP presidential hopeful Nikki Haley said that politicians like Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, as well as Democratic politicians like California Sen. Dianne Feinstein and California Rep. Maxine Waters, are why she’s proposed that policy. But Politico reports the call isn’t landing well with older voters.
Scott heads to Iowa: As South Carolina GOP Sen. Tim Scott heads to Iowa Wednesday, he tells Fox News “it’s really about the mission more than it is the timeline.”
Lee jumps in: Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., launched a Senate run on Tuesday. She brushed off concerns about her age in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, saying, “If Bernie Sanders can win a primary in California, then Barbara Lee certainly can win to be the next United States senator. Come on.”
Thinking about it: Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, is considering running for Senate against Republican Ted Cruz, the Dallas morning News reports.
Special election coming soon: Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., is resigning from Congress at the end of may to lead the Rhode Island Foundation. The timing of the special election to replace Cicilline is unclear, but Democrats are expected to hold onto the seat.
Santos emerges: Embattled New York GOP Rep. George Santos, who has not yet said if he’s running for re-election, said in an interview that he didn’t think his lies about his background would be discovered because “I ran in 2020 for the same exact seat for Congress, and I got away with it then.”