Ramaswamy and Pence cross paths at the GOP Labor Day picnic in the important presidential primary state, but they don’t argue

SALEM, NH — Vivek Ramaswamy argues that former Vice President Mike Pence and some of his other rivals for the Republican Party presidential nomination “feel threatened by my ascension.”

Pence and Ramaswamy have been at odds for nearly two weeks — and on Monday they nearly faced each other for the first time since their tense exchange of blows at the first Republican presidential debate, a Fox News-hosted showdown in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Aug. 13. 23

The two candidates, along with their fellow GOP 2024 White House nominees, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, mingled with Republican officials, lawmakers, activists and constituents, speaking at the annual convention of the GOP in Salem, New Hampshire, to the crowd’s Labor Day picnic.

But Pence and Ramaswamy kept their distance, and the multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur and first-time candidate was delighted with the way he was interacting with voters as Pence addressed the crowd and headed off for another campaign rally before Ramaswamy took the stage minutes later.

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Former Vice President Mike Pence and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy compete during the first Republican nomination debate for President August 23, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Fox News)

That wasn’t the case in the first debate, when the two clashed again and again.

Referring to the economy, Pence described Ramaswamy as a “newbie” and stressed that “now is not the time for on-the-job training”.

Ramaswamy argued in a separate conversation, referring to Pence while addressing the audience: “Do you want a super PAC puppet or do you want a truth-telling patriot?”

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Pence is in the mid-single digits in polls, as are many of his contenders for the nomination, well behind his two-time running mate, former President Donald Trump. Ramaswamy, who drew a lot of attention at the first debate when he was repeatedly attacked by Pence, former Ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, has had a surge in recent polls of his support, and that is the case. In some polls, he competed with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for second place.

Since the debate, Pence has continued to target Ramaswamy on a range of issues.

“He’s a good man, a good family man. But he’s just wrong on foreign policy,” Pence said of Ramaswamy on Fox News Sunday last weekend. “I mean, as he’d like to let it happen [Russian leader Vladimir] “Putin keeps what he grabbed in Ukraine and promises that Ukraine will never join NATO, just as he is willing to withdraw from Taiwan after 2028 and leave it to China.”

Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, takes a photo with a supporter at the GOP’s annual Labor Day picnic in Salem, New Hampshire September 4, 2023 in Salem, NH (Fox News-Paul Steinhauser)

When asked about the criticism, Ramaswamy stressed in an interview with Fox News Digital on Monday: “If you listen carefully to what I said, I have been consistent. Now I understand why they do this. You feel threatened by me.” Raise up.”

“Many of these statements have been severely falsified. But I’m actually very clear about where I stand. I just prefer our ability to respectfully disagree without actually misrepresenting opponents’ positions,” stressed Ramaswamy.

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But Ramaswamy refrained from shooting directly at Pence.

When later asked about Pence in response to questions from reporters, Ramaswamy simply said, “He’s a good guy and I wish him all the best in life.”

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When asked about his differences with Ramaswamy, Pence told reporters Monday: “Elections are about choices and I’ve had differences with a number of people on that stage and with one person who wasn’t on that stage,” what he used to refer to Trump.

Former Vice President Mike Pence, a 2024 Republican presidential nominee, addresses the crowd at the GOP’s annual Labor Day picnic in Salem, New Hampshire on September 4, 2023 in Salem, NH (Fox News-Paul Steinhauser)

“I will continue to state my vision for the Republican Party and for America, and I will show the contrasts so that at the end of the day, Republican voters here in New Hampshire and across America will do so.” qualified and tested Conservatives in this race,” Pence said.

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The Labor Day picnic in Salem was Ramaswamy’s final event during a packed four-day tour of the state, which is hosting the first primary and second overall contest in the Republican presidential nomination calendar.

Pence arrived in New Hampshire Monday for three busy days of campaigning.

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