When Indian-American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy introduced himself in the race for president, little did he know that his popularity and fundraising centre would garner such significant traction within hours post-debate. With an average of more than $38 as contributions after each viewing across all 10 GOP presidential candidates’ YouTube channels within hours post-debate, the Ramaswamy campaign reported a rapid surge in donations totaling over $450,000.

With top prospects like former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Vice President Mike Pence awaiting this interesting entry, Ramaswamy’s absence during the debate was notably filled by his presence. Notably, though, he topped the list of Google-searched GOP candidates during the debate, followed closely by fellow Indian American Nikki Haley.

The spotlight post-debate went to Ramaswamy for his strong performance. In a post-debate poll conducted after the debate, 28% of those who participated identified him as the standout candidate. The New York Times reported that Ramaswamy was confident and participated in discussions and clashes with rivals, getting declared as a different contender on stage.

While some media outlets praised his performance, others criticized his foreign policy proposals on Twitter as insufficient to earn him the White House. Even if attack chances were given by opponents in fierce contention against him, he remained firm about himself by calling himself the obvious winner at night’s end during interviews.

On having aspirations to compete with former President Donald Trump, Ramaswamy said that the competition will be a two-horse race between them and that his performance was just an opening act in a journey of campaigning. He reiterated that he is determined and committed to the race.