A surprise candidate is taking center stage at debate: onlookers

If early reaction is any indication, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy appears to have emerged as the breakthrough candidate in Wednesday’s Republican presidential debate.

Veteran GOP pollster Frank Luntz was among those who took notice of the audience’s reaction to Ramaswamy’s statement that he wouldn’t continue support for Ukraine.

“The loudest applause of the night just came when Vivek said money for Ukraine should be spent on the Mexican border. #GOPDebate,” Luntz wrote on his X account.

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Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) lauded Ramaswamy’s reply.

“@VivekGRamaswamy is the only candidate on the stage that committed to ending Ukraine funding. The uniparty is alive and well with others. Secure America’s border FIRST!” the ultraconservative congresswoman wrote Wednesday.

“Ramaswamy as the center of this debate is something of a surprise — but it sets up a Washington insider-versus-outsider dynamic that he’s comfortable with,” said Astead W. Herndon, who hosts "The Run-Up."