Global Courant
HOUSTON, United States
US Republicans continued to jump into the 2024 White House race, joining an increasingly crowded field of nearly a dozen candidates seeking the party’s presidential nomination.
The Republican field is expected to get even tighter, with at least half a dozen more potential candidates ready to join the mix.
The flock is currently led by former 76-year-old President Donald Trump, who lost to 80-year-old Joe Biden in 2020, but has since continued to raise allegations of stolen elections.
Meanwhile, Biden is the incumbent and favorite to win the Democratic nomination.
Two long-standing candidates are currently challenging him: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — niece of the late President John F. Kennedy — and author and self-help guru Marianne Williamson.
Here’s a look at the Republican candidates who either officially tip their hats to the ring or weigh a bid.
Announced candidates
1. Donald Trump
Trump is looking for a rematch with Biden, and many polls say this could be the case just when the dust lifts on the Republican field.
Trump’s influence within the party has waned recently as he faces numerous state and federal legal investigations and lawsuits.
Just last month, a jury found Trump responsible for sexual harassment and defamation, but that hasn’t stopped the former president from retaining his base of staunch supporters, and some polls show his legal troubles are making him even more popular.
While a crowded field of candidates may seem like a detriment to Trump on the surface, it could actually help multiple opponents reduce opposition within his party by splitting the anti-Trump votes.
2. Ron DeSantis
The Florida governor has touted himself as the next generation of the Republican party, but has lagged behind Trump by a large margin in the early stages of the campaign in many polls.
DeSantis, 44, has made national headlines over the past few years for his state’s defiant response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in which he violated many of the federal guidelines.
DeSantis has also become a lightning rod for criticism for enacting policies limiting the teaching of racial history and LGBTQ+ subjects in schools, and is currently engaged in a tough political and legal battle with Walt Disney World on related issues.
3. Mike Pence
On Monday, Trump’s former vice president and former Indiana governor officially handed over the paperwork to enter the Republican presidential nomination challenge.
Once considered Trump’s staunch right-hand man, Pence’s relationship with his boss deteriorated after Trump’s 2020 defeat to Biden.
While Trump urged him to help reverse the election, Pence remained in his mandate to confirm the results, prompting Trump to appeal to his supporters, which resulted in the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Pence, who turned 64 on Wednesday, has since criticized Trump for his “reckless” actions that day.
Former vice president Roe v. Despite Wade’s dismay, he also supported a national abortion ban.
4. Nikki Haley
Haley, 51, is a former South Carolina governor and also a UN ambassador under Trump.
Considered a rising star in the Republican party, he was the first to challenge his former boss, throwing his hat in the ring for the presidential nomination three months after Trump made his first announcement.
When Haley signed the 20-week law with no rape or incest exceptions, she touted a national abortion ban that ran concurrently with her two terms as governor of South Carolina.
He also supported stricter immigration laws for asylum seekers entering the United States through the Mexican border.
5. Vivek Ramaswamy
Ramaswamy, 37, is the youngest of the contenders and is seen as a long shot for the nomination.
That said, the former biotech executive, who has a net worth of around $600 million, has no shortage of confidence.
An “anti-wake-up” capitalist himself, Ramaswamy denounced corporate investment based on environmental, social and governance principles.
It wants to raise the voting age from 18 to 25 and “shut down” and “rebuild” the Department of Education, the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
6. Asa Hutchinson
Hutchinson, 72, is a two-term former governor of Arkansas and is also a former U.S. congressman.
He publicly opposed Trump’s bid for a third presidency and warned that a Trump nomination in 2024 would be a “worst-case scenario” for the Republican party.
Hutchinson denounced Trump’s efforts to disrupt the 2020 election and urged the former president to withdraw from the 2024 race.
When it comes to policy, Hutchinson wants to shrink the federal civilian workforce by 10%, expand computer science education to American schools to better compete with China, secure the future of Social Security and Medicare benefits, and sign a federal abortion ban, with some exceptions.
7. Tim Scott
The US senator from South Carolina is also the first Black Republican senator from the South in over a century.
Scott, 57, has been one of his party’s most outspoken voices when it comes to race issues, including pushing for reforms in the law enforcement system, while arguing that Democrats were wrong about the persistence of structural racism in police departments.
While Scott, like some of his fellow nominees, does not openly criticize Trump, he refused to make a commitment to support Trump should the former president win the Republican nomination.
Scott said he would support “the most conservative pro-life law” and reinstate Title 42 immigration policy while fully funding the construction of a wall on the US-Mexico border.
8. Old Larry
The 71-year-old Elder is a conservative radio host who ran unsuccessfully against California Governor Gavin Newsom in the 2021 recall election.
He advocated some far-right positions, including eliminating the minimum wage, and focused his messages on fighting crime, promoting school choice and securing the southern border by investing in physical barriers and strengthening Border Patrol resources.
Elder also stressed that the United States should fight China by “focusing the Pentagon on national defense, not left-wing social experimentation” and minimizing America’s dependence on Chinese production.
9. Perry Johnson
Johnson, 75, is a businessman and author campaigning in the 2022 Michigan governorship race.
He has published books on international quality control standards involved in manufacturing and says he wants to eliminate inflation and solve the US debt problem by cutting two cents on every dollar in federal discretionary spending.
Johnson said he would also push for the purge of the Department of Education and the pardon of former President Trump.
10. Chris Christie
Christie, 60, former governor of New Jersey, ran against Trump for the Republican nomination in 2016 but was unsuccessful.
Christie has had an on-again, off-again relationship with Trump, both as an ally and as a critic.
The former president has made it clear that he will not support Trump if he wins the Republican presidential nomination.
Potential contenders
1. Doug Burgum
The North Dakota governor won his 2020 re-election bid by 40 points and is considered one of the most popular figures in the Republican Party.
Burgum, 66, is a former software entrepreneur who sold his company to Microsoft over two decades ago and has suggested in a recent interview that he is considering a bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.
2. Glenn Youngkin
Youngkin, 56, is Virginia’s one-term governor, whose term will expire in 2026.
He has not committed to throwing his hat in the ring for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Youngkin’s staff, however, said he didn’t turn down a possible offer.
3. Kristi Noem
Noem, 51, is the governor of South Dakota, whose term will expire in 2027.
He’s a much-talked about figure in the Republican party, but he didn’t run for a presidency in 2024 as the party’s candidate.
4. Liz Cheney
Cheney, 56, one of Trump’s most fierce critics, lost his seat in Congress to a Trump-backed opponent in Wyoming’s 2022 Republican primaries.
While he hasn’t confirmed his intentions for the 2024 presidential election, Cheney, who aired a TV ad in May describing Trump as “risky” and “unfit for office”, will certainly color the Republican field for the party’s nomination.
5. John Bolton
Bolton, 74, served as Trump’s national security adviser and has been critical of his former boss since leaving the administration in 2019.
Bolton said he is considering running for president in 2024 in an effort to prevent Trump from winning a second term in office.
He called Trump’s latest proposal to repeal the Constitution “disqualifying”, citing the former president’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results he lost to Biden.
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