Alabama Republican Party hosting Vivek Ramaswamy on Tuesday night

The Alabama Republican Party will host GOP Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy in a reception Tuesday night in Hoover before the state hosts the leading Republican Presidential Debate Wednesday in Tuscaloosa.

“I am pleased to have Vivek Ramaswamy joining us as we kick off debate week here in Alabama!” said Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl in a statement on Tuesday. “This is a historic occasion for our state as we hold our first ever nationally televised presidential debate, and I am appreciative that one of our Party’s rising political figures will be headlining this reception for the Alabama Republican Party. I look forward to giving the people of Alabama the chance to meet Mr. Ramaswamy and showcasing our amazing state to another presidential candidate.”

The event will be held at the Ross Bridge Resort on Tuesday, December 5, 2023, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Ramaswamy is the latest presidential candidate to visit with the Alabama GOP this year. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis headlined the Party’s Winter Dinner in Birmingham and former President Donald Trump was the keynote speaker at their Summer Dinner in Montgomery. Barring an epic meltdown on the part of the GOP nominee, most political analysts believe that, win or lose, Alabama will vote for the GOP candidate in the 2024 presidential election (it has for the last 11 presidential elections in a row).

“Alabama is one of the strongest Republican states in the nation, and I am proud we have this opportunity to host all of our presidential candidates at the upcoming debate in Tuscaloosa,” said Chairman Wahl. “Raising Alabama’s political profile is one of my top priorities as ALGOP Chairman, and I am excited this debate will continue the work the Party has been doing in this area.”

Ramaswamy is a Hindu of Indian subcontinent descent. He is a successful businessman, a husband, and a father of two. He was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. Growing up he was a nationally ranked tennis player and the valedictorian of his high school, St. Xavier. He went on to graduate summa cum laude in Biology from Harvard and has a law degree from Yale Law School. He has worked at a hedge fund. He started a biotech company, Roivant Sciences, where he oversaw the development of five drugs that went on to become FDA-approved. He is an author and has written extensively attacking the woke movement.

Ramaswamy has embraced an “America First” foreign policy that opposes more aid for Ukraine, is skeptical of aid for Israel, and opposes guaranteeing Taiwan’s independence. Ramaswamy has had some very heated debate stage confrontations with former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley. In the last debate, Haley called Ramaswamy “Scum” after he pointed out that Haley’s daughter has a Tik Tok account.

“I wasn’t criticizing her daughter. I was criticizing Nikki Haley,” said Ramaswamy. “She says we need a new generation of leadership. She’s on the wrong side of that generational divide.”

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