Ramaswamy airing first presidential ad in New Hampshire, Iowa

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is launching a six-figure advertising blitz in Iowa and New Hampshire, marking the first time his campaign has gone on the air since he announced his candidacy last month.

The ads are set to air for the next two weeks and signal the beginning of a “multi-million dollar ad campaign” in critical early primary and caucus states that will span the next several months, according to his campaign. 

“We’re in the middle of a national identity crisis,” Ramaswamy says in the ad. “Faith, patriotism and hard work have disappeared. Wokeness, gender ideology and the climate cult have taken their place.”

“We spend so much time celebrating our diversity that we forget the values that bind us together,” he adds. “I believe deep in my bones those values still exist.”

The ad campaign makes Ramaswamy the second candidate to go on the air in the GOP presidential primary. So far, only businessman Perry Johnson has run ads in the race.

Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur who authored the book “Woke, Inc.,” is seen as a longshot to win the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination. He’s centered his campaign around the idea that the U.S. is in the midst of a crisis over race, religion and identity. 

He’s likely to face an uphill battle in his bid for his party’s presidential nod. Former President Trump and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley are also seeking the nomination, and the Republican field is likely to balloon in the coming months with the expected entrances of heavyweights like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis into the race.