On Monday, Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy received death threats from Tyler Anderson, a New Hampshire man, at a campaign event.
Anderson was charged with a federal criminal charge after threatening to kill Ramaswamy. According to the US attorney's office, Anderson received a text message from the victim's campaign notifying him of a political event in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Ramaswamy Receives Death Threats
TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - DECEMBER 06: Republican presidential candidateVivek Ramaswamy delivers his closing statement during the NewsNation Republican Presidential Primary Debate at the University of Alabama Moody Music Hall on December 6, 2023 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The four presidential hopefuls squared off during the fourth Republican primary debate without current frontrunner and former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has declined to participate in any of the previous debates.
On December 8, Anderson responded to the text message and said, "Great, another opportunity for me to blow his brains out!' and 'I'm going to kill everyone who attends and then fuck their corpses."
The federal did not release the name of the candidate and the event. However, the charging documents identified a breakfast meeting on Monday, which was Ramaswamy's schedule to hold an event in the state.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the biotech entrepreneur, said that, unfortunately, the death threats were true. But they added that they were grateful to law enforcement for their swiftness and professionalism in handling the matter and prayed for the safety of all Americans.
Anderson was charged with relaying a threat to injure the person of another in interstate commerce. The offense can lead to a five-year sentence and a fine of up to $250,000.
He was expected to attend the trial in court in Concord, New Hampshire, on Monday afternoon.
According to NBC News, the charging documents said federal agents searched Anderson's residence on Saturday and discovered guns and the phone that was used to send the texts about Ramaswamy.
The campaign immediately notified law enforcement after receiving the threat in response to the automated text message. Ramaswamy's campaign did not publicly announce the threat to prevent imitators.
Furthermore, the agents also found threats in messages to another candidate, saying, "Thanks, I'll see you there. Hope you have the stamina for a mass shooting!"
Anderson has sent various messages to multiple campaigns. The second candidate was also not named in court documents.
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Ramaswamy's Campaign
On January 23, New Hampshire will hold the second event of the Republican presidential primary. According to fivethirtyeight.com, former president Donald Trump has a comfortable New Hampshire lead over the former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, 44.7% to 18.9%.
Ramaswamy stood out early in the primary campaign but has fallen back amid many abrasive debate performances. The website shows he now sits fifth in New Hampshire, on 6.7% support, with only the former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson below him.
He announced his candidacy for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination on February 21, 2023. He was also an entrepreneur, political commentator, and author.
His campaign focused on reducing the size of the federal government, supporting freedom of speech, opposing environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG), opposing China, and opposing affirmative action.
Ramaswamy said in his campaign announcement that his plans were not just a political campaign but a cultural movement to create a new American dream for the next generation.
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