With the 2024 presidential election just over a year away, most Americans are not actively thinking about who to vote for yet. Despite how far off election day may seem, the race has already seen numerous candidates on both sides of the aisle announce their campaigns for president. As it stands, there are four Democratic contenders, nine Republican contenders and two independents seeking the presidency so far. The following candidates are the most prominent within their respective fields.
JOE BIDEN: On the Democratic side, the incumbent president is far and away the front runner. Most polling has Joe Biden polling higher than any of his democratic opponents by double digits, and numerous elected members of the Democratic party have already endorsed him. Still, there are lingering concerns about Biden’s ability to govern given his advanced age, however, not serious enough to merit a serious democratic competitor yet.
MARIANNE WILLIAMSON: Biden’s closest democratic rival, Marianne Williamson is challenging Joe Biden from the left, making climate change and single-payer healthcare key elements of her campaign. As a best-selling author and former spiritual advisor to Oprah Winfrey, Williamson also ran for president in 2020 on a similar progressive platform before dropping out and endorsing Senator Bernie Sanders.
CENK UYGUR: Left-wing commentator Cenk Uygur is the one of the latest candidates to announce his bid for the White House. Uygur, who is the founder and host of online political news channel The Young Turks, is also running on progressive policy items like an increased minimum wage and paid family leave. His ability to actually assume the presidency is in question as Uygur, who was born in Turkey, may not qualify as a “natural-born citizen”.
DONALD TRUMP: Former President Donald Trump has proven to be far and away the strongest polling candidate on the Republican side. Despite numerous legal obstacles over the past year, Trump has triumphed over all of his Republican rivals combined in the polls, and has even chosen to skip the Republican debates on account of his massive lead. Still, there is a significant chance that the numerous lawsuits against him may impede his ability to effectively campaign, giving an opportunity to other Republican candidates.
RON DESANTIS: In a distant second place is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. DeSantis made headlines last year after winning reelection in a landslide in even some of the most liberal areas of Florida. His presidential campaign, though, has suffered from sinking poll numbers as the former Trump ally has struggled to attack the former president. DeSantis, like many of the Republican nominees, has centered much of his campaign around immigration issues and the southern border.
NIKKI HALEY: As the former governor of South Carolina and ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration, Haley has positioned herself as the foreign policy expert in the race, though has struggled to make a dent in Trump’s support. She has faced pushback from some in her party over her support for U.S. aid to Ukraine in their ongoing war with Russia.
CHRIS CHRISTIE: Of the Republicans running, Chris Christie is the most outspoken critic of Donald Trump. While other Republican candidates have avoided taking shots at the former president, Christie has made it a central fixture of his campaign. Despite greater success in his 2016 bid, Christie has failed to gain traction in a Trump-dominated Republican primary.
VIVEK RAMASWAMY: Ramaswamy, a young, millionaire entrepreneur, took many in the party by surprise following his aggressive performance in the first Republican debate. He has focused much of his campaign around conservative social programs such as combatting “wokeness,” but has seen his poll numbers slip in the past month.
ROBERT F. KENNDEDY JR.: The nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Jr.’s campaign for the president has left many political observers scratching their heads. Initially announcing his campaign as a Democrat, Kennedy relaunched his campaign as an independent after his vaccine-skeptical political message turned many Democrats away from him. Running as an independent campaign for president is a longshot, however, many Republicans now fear that even a losing Kennedy ticket may bleed support from Donald Trump in the general election due to RFK’s criticism of COVID-19 mask mandates.
CORNEL WEST: The former Ivy League professor is also taking his shot at the White House as an independent after originally launching his campaign with the Green Party. West, a socialist, has targeted both Trump and Biden in his political remarks, advocating for an end to the two-party political system. West has come under fire in recent days, though, for accepting a large campaign contribution from Republican mega-donor Harlan Crow.
As it stands currently, it’s quite likely that the 2024 election will serve as a rematch of the 2020 election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Both candidates, one in his 80’s and the other in his late 70’s, have been the oldest presidents to assume office in U.S. history, prompting many Americans to seek younger alternatives. As the election season grows closer and the race tightens, it will become clear as to if American voters are open to that sort of change.
