In the 2024 general election, three Republican candidates are vying to become their party’s presidential nominee. President Joe Biden is the presumed nominee for the Democratic Party, and a number of third-party contenders have also entered the race. Here’s a list of the candidates.
Republican Candidatеs
Here are the Republican president candidates 2024:
Donald Trump
Trump has embraced his indictments in four separate criminal cases — an unprecedented move for a former American president. He’s used them to boost his popularity among Republicans and raise funds, making him the Republican frontrunner with 49% in the latest Reuters/Ipsos polling. He clinched victory in the party’s first nominating contest in Iowa, securing over half the votes.
At 77, Trump dismisses the indictments as a political witch hunt aimed at derailing his bid for a second four-year term, a claim the Justice Department denies. If re-elected, Trump has vowed revenge against his perceived enemies and has adopted increasingly authoritarian language, including stating he wouldn’t be a dictator, except “on day one.”
He has promised other sweeping changes, such as gutting the federal civil service to install loyalists and implementing tougher immigration policies like mass deportations and ending birthright citizenship. Additionally, he pledged to eliminate Obamacare health insurance and impose stricter controls on trade with China.
Nikki Halеy
Former South Carolina governor and Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, Haley, 51, has stressed her relative youth compared to Biden, 81, and Trump. She highlights her background as the daughter of Indian immigrants.
Haley has earned a reputation in the Republican Party as a solid conservative with the ability to address gender and race issues more credibly than many of her peers. She positions herself as a staunch defender of American interests abroad and argues that Trump’s management style is too chaotic and divisive to be effective.
She garnered 12% support among Republicans, according to the Reuters/Ipsos survey, and secured the third spot in Iowa. In state-level polls, Haley has consistently led rival Ron DeSantis in South Carolina and New Hampshire.
Ron DеSantis
Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida has positioned himself to the right of Trump on several important social issues, like abortion. However, his campaign has faced challenges and is lagging far behind the former president in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, with only 11%. Despite heavily focusing on Iowa, DeSantis, aged 45, secured the second position there. In attempts to enhance his candidacy, he has made staff changes and rebooted his campaign multiple times.
Dеmocratics Candidatеs
Joе Bidеn
Biden, who is 81 years old and holds the record as the oldest U.S. president, faces the challenge of convincing voters that he has the stamina for another four years in office. Concerns about his age and low approval ratings add to this task. According to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, Biden is at 35%, the same level of support as Trump.
Biden’s allies argue that he sees himself as the only Democratic candidate capable of defeating Trump. When announcing his candidacy, Biden emphasized his role in defending American democracy and referenced the deadly January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters. His running mate is once again Vice President Kamala Harris.
The economy will play a significant role in his reelection campaign. While the U.S. avoided an anticipated recession and is growing faster than economists expected, 2022 saw 40-year highs in inflation, and the cost of food and gas is impacting voters.
Biden has taken a leading role in the response of Western governments to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, rallying allies to sanction Moscow and support Kyiv. He has also expressed support for Israel in its conflict with Hamas militants in Gaza. However, he faces criticism within his party for not backing calls for a ceasefire in the Palestinian territory. Gaza health officials report significant casualties, damage to buildings, and shortages of food, water, and medical supplies.
Domestically, Biden has pushed through substantial economic stimulus and infrastructure spending packages to boost U.S. industrial output. However, he has received limited recognition from voters for the latter. His handling of immigration policy has drawn criticism from both Republicans and Democrats, especially as migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border reached record highs during his administration.
Mariannе Williamson
The best-selling author and self-help guru Marianne Williamson, aged 71, has initiated her second, unlikely attempt for the White House with a platform centered around “justice and love.” In the 2020 presidential primary, she ran as a Democrat but withdrew from the race before any votes were cast. Her most recent campaign was launched on March 23, and she will be included on the ballot in the New Hampshire primary.
Dean Phillips
Dean Phillips, a relatively unknown U.S. congressman from Minnesota, declared in October that he would undertake a challenging attempt to challenge Biden because he doesn’t think the president can secure another term. The 54-year-old millionaire businessman and co-founder of a gelato company announced his candidacy through a one-minute video posted online, stating, “We’ve got some challenges. … We’re going to fix this economy, and we are going to fix America.”
Independent Candidatеs
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a 69-year-old anti-vaccine activist, is now running as an independent after initially challenging Biden for the Democratic nomination. However, he lags significantly behind in the polls. Recent Reuters/Ipsos polls indicate that Kennedy could have a more significant impact on Biden than on Trump in the presidential election. Third-party candidates have historically influenced U.S. elections, even without winning. Kennedy garnered support from 18% of respondents in the latest survey.
Kennedy is the son of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968 during his own presidential bid. He faced a ban from Instagram for spreading misinformation about vaccines and the COVID-19 pandemic but was later reinstated. Additionally, he lost a legal attempt to compel Google, the owner of YouTube, to restore videos of him questioning the safety of COVID vaccines.
Cornel West
Cornel West, the political activist, philosopher, and academic announced his intention to initiate a third-party campaign for president, aiming to resonate with progressive, Democratic-leaning voters. West, aged 70, initially entered the race as a Green Party candidate. However, in October, he expressed that people “want good policies over partisan politics” and declared his candidacy as an independent. He has committed to ending poverty and ensuring housing for all.
Jill Stein
Jill Stein, a physician, renewed her Green Party candidacy on November 9, alleging that Democrats repeatedly betrayed their commitments “for working people, youth, and the climate,” while Republicans didn’t even make such promises in the first place.
Stein, aged 73, gathered millions of dollars for recounts following Trump’s unexpected victory in 2016. Her claims resulted in only one electoral review in Wisconsin, confirming Trump’s win.
