Disclaimer: This article was written in early April 2023 and may be outdated by the time of publication (May 2023).
Amidst a raging pandemic, voters flocked to polling stations for the 2020 presidential election. This election saw a record-high increase in voter turnout with 66.8 percent of eligible citizens voting—an increase of seventeen million voters from the 2016 election. Two and a half years later, new and returning candidates are preparing their campaigns for the sixtieth United States presidential election, to be held on November 5, 2024. In this election, views on abortion access, climate justice, and LGBTQ+ rights are expected to be especially crucial. Not all candidates have announced their election campaigns, but here is a look into some possible candidates for the 2024 election of the president of the United States of America.
Prominent Candidates:
Joe Biden (Democrat) is the incumbent president. He has yet to officially announce a reelection campaign (as of early April), leading to speculation about whether he might choose not to run again due to his age; at eighty years old, he is currently the oldest United States president ever to hold office. Many supporters are voicing concern over his deteriorating health and what implications this has on his ability to lead. Biden’s timing in announcing his campaign, however, is not unprecedented. For example, former President George W. Bush waited to announce his candidacy until May 16, 2003. Surrounding the pressing issue of abortion access, President Biden believes that providing all Americans with access to reproductive healthcare services is crucial, and he supports the right of pregnant individuals to choose for themselves whether or not to get an abortion. During Biden’s Vice Presidency under President Barack Obama, same-sex marriage was legalized in all fifty states. Biden remains supportive of LGBTQ+ rights, stating “We believe LGBTQ+ rights are human rights” in a 2021 speech. Biden believes strongly that climate activism is desperately needed. He has said that his goal is to reach a “one hundred percent clean energy economy and net-zero emissions no later than 2050.” However, Biden recently approved the controversial Willow project in Alaska—an oil drilling project that will create jobs and provide access to the natural resources located in the region. While the Willow project will boost the local Alaskan economy, it will have detrimental effects on the climate and greatly impair Biden’s progressive climate goals.
Donald Trump (Republican) announced his election campaign in November 2022. This is former President Trump’s fourth campaign running for president, and, if he won, this would be his second term in office. There are concerns over Trump’s recent indictment over hush-money payments made to a adult film star preceding the 2016 elections, however, the former president stated that whether he was indicted or not, he would continue his campaign. While this is legal, his administration could be challenged by trying to handle both a criminal case as well as a presidential campaign simultaneously. Trump has previously worked extensively to restrict access to abortion; in this campaign, however, the former president has worked hard to avoid the subject entirely. Regarding LGBTQ+ rights, Trump has stated that he is “fine” with same-sex marriage, however, he has promised to end gender-affirming care for minors if he is elected for a second term in 2024, equating it to “child abuse” and “child sexual mutilation.” When discussing climate change, the former President has been known to call it a “hoax” and to say that it is “nonexistent.” During his presidency, Trump routinely put the profit of companies above climate impacts. However, he has also made statements that climate change is “very important to [him]” and “a serious subject.”
Marianne Williamson (Democrat) is the first Democratic candidate to announce a campaign for the presidential race of 2024, and so far Biden’s only challenger for the Democratic nomination. Well-known as an author and spiritual leader, she has written several New York Times number-one bestsellers, with many books focusing on self-help and spiritual healing. Williamson ran in the 2020 Democratic primaries, but she lost the nomination to President Biden. Aside from her political and authorial careers, Williamson is the founder of several charity organizations including Project Angel Food, a volunteer organization that brings hot meals to home-bound people with HIV/AIDS, and the Peace Alliance, a nonprofit organization focused on “peace-building” through educational and spiritual methods. On the controversial topics central to this election, Williamson has views similar to much of the Democratic party. She has stated that she believes abortion is a “moral issue,” but she has said that “I believe the decision of whether or not to have an abortion lies solely with a pregnant woman.” Surrounding LGBTQ+ rights, Williamson believes that “every American deserves to live free from fear of discrimination, regardless of who they are and whom they love.” She has said that if elected, she will work to introduce laws prohibiting the discrimination of LBGTQ+ people on the basis of their identity. When asked about climate change in a candidate survey Williamson stated that “we must take immediate and powerful action now to reduce carbon emissions and to increase the resilience of communities to deal with the impacts of climate change.”
Nikki Haley (Republican) announced her election campaign in February 2023. As a former governor of South Carolina and US ambassador to the United Nations under Trump, Haley has some experience in politics. Haley is the daughter of Indian immigrants and the first woman of color to be a major candidate in the Republican party nomination. She describes herself as pro-life, not purely because she is conservative, but because “I appreciate life and I’m forever blessed for those things in my life.” At a speech in New Hampshire, Haley announced that she believes Florida’s new “Parental Rights In Education” law, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, does not go “far enough.” Instead she believes that “schools need to be teaching reading and math and science,” and that when they do offer sex-education at a much older age, it should be only with the signed consent of a parent. Haley’s policies on climate change are focused on a method of capturing emissions after they are released into the atmosphere rather than reducing the emissions themselves.
Ron DeSantis (Republican) has not yet officially announced a campaign for election, but he is widely expected to do so before long. DeSantis is a former military officer and has been serving as the governor of Florida since 2019. His rising fame has led to increased popularity among certain voters; DeSantis sometimes surpasses former President Trump in polls of possible nominees. He has recently gained national fame for his seemingly extreme views along with many of the state-wide bills he has passed. This includes a “Stop Woke Act” which limits what businesses and schools can say about race, and the aforementioned “Parental Rights In Education Act,” which limits how educators can discuss sexual orientation and gender identity. Ahead of signing the bill in 2022, DeSantis stated that teaching kindergarten children that “they can be whatever they want to be” was “inappropriate.” He added that “it’s not something that’s appropriate for any place, but especially not in Florida.” DeSantis has additionally signed a bill banning abortions after fifteen weeks in Florida, saying that he would happily sign a stricter bill banning abortions after six weeks. As governor, DeSantis has dealt with the effects of rising sea levels and other aspects of climate change on his constituents, but he has not focused on the causes of the issue, preferring to focus his efforts on the people harmed by the effects of climate change.
Additional 2024 Presidential Candidates:
Asa Hutchinson (Republican) is a former Arkansas governor, congressman, director of the Drug Enforcement Administration, and undersecretary for border and transportation for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Hutchinson has announced his campaign for the Republican nomination.
Vivek Ramaswamy (Republican) is an author and an entrepreneur who founded a biotech company focused on drug development. Ramaswamy has announced his candidacy in the 2024 presidential election.
Joseph Allen Maldonado (Libertarian) is a former candidate in the 2016 presidential primaries and the 2018 election for governor of Oklahoma. Maldonado has announced his campaign. He is also known by the name Joe Exotic and is currently serving a twenty-one-year prison sentence.
Mike Pence (Republican) is a former governor of Indiana and Vice President under the presidency of Donald Trump. Pence has since criticized the former President for his involvement in the January 6 attack on the capital. He has not yet announced his candidacy, but there is speculation that he might be planning to do so soon.
Mike Pompeo (Republican) was a director of the CIA and secretary of state during the presidency of Donald Trump. Pompeo has yet to announce any plans for a campaign.
Tim Scott (Republican) has been serving as a US senator of South Carolina since 2013 and is the only Black Republican senator. Scott has not yet announced candidacy plans.
