DeSantis Falls To Third While Ramaswamy Surges, Trump Continues To Dominate With 40 Point Lead Just Days From GOP Debate

Things seem to be over for Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in the Republican primaries as underdog Vivek Ramaswamy (R), who once had a measly one percent in polling, has managed to overtake the once close second place spot while Donald Trump continues to sit on top with a dominant 40-point lead over everyone. 

The latest poll comes from Echelon Insights in conjunction with Republican Main Street Partnership and was shared by NewsWire. The poll was conducted from August 15-17 and asked 1,017 likely Republican primary voters who they would be choosing. 

As has remained constant throughout the entire race, 45th President Trump has maintained his spot in the first place, continuing to further cement the gap between him and the silver spot, holding 55 percent of the votes. The poll specifically found that non-college-educated individuals, older voters, fathers, and conservatives like him more than average.

The most surprising news comes when looking at the second place position where Ramaswamy now sits with 15 percent support while the Sunshine State governor now rests at third with 12 percent support. Previous polling has the two tied for second but this is the first time that the young upstart has managed to pass the Florida governor. 

"While Donald Trump remains the frontrunner, Republican voters seeking an alternative candidate are beginning to coalesce around a few top-tier choices. For much of the past year that was Gov. DeSantis, but Vivek Ramaswamy has risen well above expectations and is currently leading the pack of challengers," Sarah Chamberlain, the Republican Main Street Partnership President and CEO said. "Voters are clearly hungry for something new - no group more than the suburban women who often decide elections. If Mr. Ramaswamy, Gov. DeSantis, or any of the other hopefuls want a serious chance at winning the nomination, appealing to those voters should be top priority." 

And continuing with the norm for the polls, there’s a steep dropoff following the third place position, with people like former Vice President Mike Pence (R-IN), former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley (R-SC), and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) all sitting with low single digits. Former Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ) was able to garner one percent support, being the last candidate to do so. 

Things seem to have gone from dire to impossible for the DeSantis campaign all the while things have never looked so good for Ramaswamy. What made their campaigns different in terms of success can certainly be anyone's guess but the numbers don’t lie. Of course, neither seems able to surpass the insurmountable wall that is Donald Trump, but only time will tell who gets the nomination.