FIRST ON FOX – Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is taking the “GOP establishment” in Iowa to task, specifically calling out Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds over support of the CO2 pipeline he argues negatively impacts farmers in the Hawkeye State.
In an announcement obtained by Fox News Digital, Ramaswamy teased a policy speech he’s set to give Friday in Des Moines regarding CO2 pipelines being implemented he says as part of the “climate change agenda,” knocking Republicans who are onboard with it.
“The GOP establishment does NOT approve of this message & it’s pathetic I’m the only candidate with the stones to say it,” Ramaswamy’s statement began. “The climate change agenda is a hoax & it’s hurting farmers in Iowa. Here’s how: the U.S. government enacted crony subsidies to reward those who build CO2 pipelines across the Midwest to bury CO2 in the ground in North Dakota (which is senseless for many reasons, including the fact that crops require CO2).”
“Here’s the bigger problem: most farmers don’t want the CO2 pipeline on their land. There are real hazards & many farmers don’t want to sell their land either. But the GOP Establishment in Iowa has enacted eminent domain to *seize* these farmers’ land which is a gross violation of their property rights,” Ramaswamy wrote.
He continued, “Every political consultant tells you to stay away from the CO2 pipeline issue, because it makes the likes of @GovKimReynolds look horrible for supporting it. Well, I refuse to be controlled. We’ll go deep on this on Friday at 12pm in Des Moines, with the Free Soil Coalition.”
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The biotech entrepreneur went on to predict that “soon you will see the other presidential candidates who have tiptoed around this issue reluctantly adopt my stance including even the one whom @GovKimReynolds endorsed.”
“You can bookmark that prediction & take it to the bank,” Ramaswamy added.
The candidate Reynolds endorsed is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Gov. Reynolds’ office did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
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Ramaswamy is hoping to defy expectations in the first primary contest in the nation. According to the RealClearPolitics average of polls in Iowa, Ramaswamy is trailing at 5% behind former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley at 14.3%, DeSantis at 17.3% and former President Trump, who maintains a commanding lead at 47% among Iowan primary voters.
In the most recent Fox News national poll earlier this month, Ramaswamy received 7%, Haley got 11%, DeSantis got 14% while Trump held a whopping 62% support among Republicans.
