DES MOINES — Days before the Iowa caucuses, Iowa state Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison, switched his endorsement from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to Ohio entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
At a rally against carbon pipelines held in the bustling rotunda of the Iowa State Capitol building, Holt switched his endorsement. Holt said he made the switch because of Ramaswamy’s stance on carbon pipelines. He added that unlike the other candidates, Ramaswamy is willing to discuss the challenges Americans face.
“He was, to my knowledge, the first presidential candidate to bring focus to this issue,” Holt said at the rally on Wednesday. “And it shows his love of the Constitution and his courage in fighting for the lives of the people.”
Ramaswamy said he was not expecting the announcement but is grateful for Holt’s endorsement.
In front of a crowd wearing mixed merchandise from Republican candidates, Ramaswamy promised to continue to fight against carbon companies even if he does not make it to the Oval Office.
He called the use of eminent domain for private purposes unconstitutional.
A March 2023 bill passed by the Iowa House limited carbon pipeline companies’ use of eminent domain, requiring carbon capture pipeline companies to obtain 90 percent of the land on their route through voluntary deals before they seek the use of eminent domain.
Ramaswamy currently polls at 5 percent among Iowa voters in the December Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll and polls at 4.5 percent of voters nationally.
Because of lackluster polling results, Ramaswamy did not meet the requirements to participate in the CNN Republican debate held on Wednesday evening at Drake University’s Sheslow Auditorium in Des Moines.
He claimed the network is up to “shenanigans” and is attempting to censor him.
Ramaswamy accused CNN of “tilting the scales” by discounting Republican National Committee polls that qualified him for the last debate.
“CNN has decided they don’t want the people of this country to hear what I actually have to say,” he said.
The debate will host Haley and DeSantis, who have trailed each other in the polls throughout their campaigns.
