Vivek Ramaswamy, the 37-year-old multimillionaire, remains a long-shot candidate in the Republican primary. Still, his success at polling third nationally is remarkable. With a background in finance and biotechnology, he entered the race as a political novice, having never served in government. There are several factors contributing to his unlikely success.

First, his wealth. Initially, he loaned over $10 million of his own money to kickstart his campaign. In the second quarter of 2023, he raised more than $7.7 million, again with a large dose of self-help. The New York Post reports that “all told, 70% of the total his campaign brought in from April through June came from Ramaswamy’s pockets. Just $2.3 million, or about 30% of the total, came from individual donors.”

Second, Ramaswamy is a talented, and highly energetic, communicator. Some have described his communications strategy as “omnipresent” — he appears constantly on podcasts, TV shows, and panels and has a reputation for almost never saying no to a media request. He does well in adversarial settings, as evidenced by the viral clip of his recent engagement with a pro-choice heckler.

Third, compared with other candidates, Ramaswamy has managed to avoid attacks from former president Trump, whom he has described as his “friend.” Not only does Ramaswamy refrain from criticizing the former president, but he has also repeatedly promised to pardon him if elected.

Finally, his ethnic minority status as the son of Indian immigrants and his relative youth are both factors that make him stand out from other candidates.