serving photo
Vivek Ramaswamy, a Republican candidate for Congress in California’s 50th district, posted a shirtless photo of himself on Instagram as he prepared for a congressional debate on Tuesday night. The photo showed Ramaswamy in a brace, serving a tennis ball on a court.
The captioned added: “I’m ready to fight for you tonight in the #CA50 congressional debate. Let’s get it PAR-TEA time!#RepRama #RamAttack2020.”
Ramaswamy is running against the incumbent, Democrat Scott Peters, for the seat, which includes parts of San Diego and Chula Vista.
The debate, which begins at 6 p.m., is the only one between the two candidates and may be one of the most watched congressional races in the country.
Ramaswamy’s unorthodox Instagram post seemed to be a humorous attempt to inject some levity into the tense race and to rally his supporters ahead of the debate. Ramaswamy has a history of unconventional campaign tactics, such as jumping out of a plane in a skydiving video and driving to the state capital in a Volkswagen Beetle to deliver a petition to Governor Gavin Newsom.
The post garnered a mix of humorous replies, many of which poked fun at the serious nature of the debate and applauding the candidate for his storytelling abilities. Others showered him with compliments and good luck wishes.
A few commenters pointed out that the post showed Ramaswamy’s willingness to embrace a less traditional approach that may appeal to younger, independent voters.
Regardless of the outcome, it seems Ramaswamy has won a few more points with his rebellious post. In politics, like in tennis, sometimes taking a strange and unorthodox approach can pay off.
