Vivek Ramaswamy is hoping Jake Paul can deliver a knockout punch for him on the campaign trail ... which is why they're teaming up for a critical stretch in his bid for the GOP nomination.
The presidential primary season starts next Monday in Iowa ... and we're told Jake and Vivek will be side-by-side on Sunday as they travel around the state urging Gen-Zers to come out and vote.
Vivek's spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, tells TMZ ... "We're very excited Jake's joining on the campaign trail and we're hoping it can really drive out younger people."
She goes on to say that while Vivek is seeing a lot of enthusiasm from young voters, Jake's star power and ability to command a crowd is going to be a major asset on the eve of the Iowa caucus.
We're told the duo will travel in Vivek's private plane to events at 4 of the biggest universities in Iowa ... all as part of the "Commit to Caucus Rally."
Tricia says Vivek talked to Jake about joining the campaign trail a few weeks ago ... when he attended Jake's fight against Andre August in Florida. As we reported, Jake hooked up Vivek with ringside seats.
Make no mistake, Ramaswamy needs a big spark. Recent polls show he's well under 10 percent of likely Iowa GOP caucus voters ... but Vivek's campaign is adamant they're tapping into a group of voters that isn't accounted for in those polls.
Vivek for President? pic.twitter.com/s8VTaOBmg1
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) September 11, 2023
Whether it be social media or boxing Jake has proven he knows how to draw a crowd -- but now we'll see if he can draw folks to cast a vote for Ramaswamy.