Vivek Ramaswamy beats Ron DeSantis for best performance AND tops Donald Trump as the ‘real winner’ in poll of the Republican debate

Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy won the first Republican debate of 2024 on Wednesday night, according to an exclusive poll for DailyMail.com, beating Florida Governor Ron DeSantis by the narrowest margin.

He put on a combative performance, trading blows with opponents such as former Vice President Mike Pence, who appeared intent on downsizing him in size.

It made him the center of much of the debate.

That was enough for 28 percent of respondents to say the 38-year-old rising star had the best night, beating DeSantis, who scored 27 percent.

Former Vice President Mike Pence was third with 13 percent, followed by Senator Tim Scott with eight percent and former South Carolina Nikki Haley with seven percent.

Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie scored four percent, North Dakota governor Doug Burgum took three percent (and appeared on stage despite tearing his Achilles tendon), and former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson, took two percent.

JL Partners’ James Johnson who conducted the poll said three candidates could be satisfied with their night work.

“First and foremost, Vivek Ramaswamy, who put himself on the national stage and narrowly won the debate with the Republican voters,” he said.

Second, Ron DeSantis who was near the top of the poll and has kept his campaign alive and defied the write-offs on his debate performance.

“Third, Mike Pence, who was voted third by voters and who may now be establishing himself as the leading anti-Trump candidate in the race.”

JL Partners conducted an online survey to reach 504 registered Republicans watching the debate. The results come with a margin of error of 4.4 percent.

When they questioned the absent Donald Trump, Ramaswamy still won. About 22 percent of respondents said he was the “true winner,” compared to 20 percent who chose Trump.

“I just warmed up,” said Tricia McLaughlin, spokeswoman for Ramaswamy.

The result reflects how Ramaswamy’s message has made him the surprise pack of the race so far. His numbers have risen so much in national polls that some surveys have placed him second ahead of DeSantis.

Wednesday was also heralded as a make-or-break moment for DeSantis, a chance to reboot his campaign after weeks of plummeting polls and negative headlines.

The results suggest that he has made no mistakes, but that he has yet to solidify his position as the candidate most likely to overtake front-runner Donald Trump.

His campaign manager Jame Uthmeier said DeSantis has managed to stay above the fray of feuding rivals.

While other candidates attacked each other, Governor DeSantis remained focused on the American people and fighting for their future with a clear vision to restore our economy, secure the border, empower parents, support law enforcement and stand up against the leftist elites and the DC branch,” he said.

He may have risen above the fray, but sometimes that meant being relegated to a spectator while Ramaswamy was in the middle of business.

“The real choice we face in this primaries is this: Do you want a Super PAC doll?” asked Ramaswamy, as he took on his opponents. “Or do you want a patriot who speaks the truth? Do you want incremental reforms, which you are now hearing about, or do you want a revolution?’

But those punches also made him a target.

“Now is not the time for on-the-job training,” said Pence, trying to position himself as the most experienced candidate in the field.

“We don’t have to bring in a rookie. We don’t need to bring in people without experience.’

Christie, who has focused his campaign on attacking Trump, also had his say. He updated his famous 2016 attack on Marco Rubio, calling Ramaswamy “a man who sounds like ChatGPT.”

And Haley, United Nations ambassador under Trump, clashed with him over his inability to support Ukraine in its war with Russia.

“You have no foreign policy experience and it shows,” she told him.

But according to his allies, the blows only made Ramaswamy stronger.

“Seven career politicians challenged Vivek and they couldn’t take him down,” said his senior adviser Chris Grant.

Not only that, but he also managed to use the debate to introduce himself to an audience that might not have heard of him before.

“Let me first answer the question of what everyone is thinking about at home tonight. Who the hell is this skinny kid with a funny last name and what the hell is he doing in the middle of the debate phase?” he said during his first answer.

‘I am not a politician. You’re quite right. I am an entrepreneur. My parents came to this country forty years ago without money. I have continued to create billion-dollar companies.’

Trump senior adviser Jason Miller said the performance was enough to end the DeSantis campaign.

“We saw Vivek Ramaswamy jump over Ron DeSanctus in real time tonight,” he said after the spin room debate.

“I think we’ll wake up tomorrow and Ramaswamy will be comfortably second.”