Who Are The Republican Candidates for President?

by Isobel Firth

DeSantis and Trump

As the 2024 US President Elections draws ever closer so does the decision on the main opposition candidate for President. With 13 candidates already announcing their campaigns, some are a lot more likely to become the main opposition to Joe Biden, a Democrat, than others. But which ones?

Donald Trump

The former President announced his candidacy in November 2022, after the midterm elections. Despite the fact he has been arrested and charged for 34 felonies he is still firmly in the running with 66% of republicans backing Trump. Whether or not he can legally be President after he wins is still unclear with the Constitution not talking about whether or not a candidate can be criminally charged.

Ron DeSantis

The governor of Florida is second in the polls to Trump. He announced his campaign on May 24th 2023. He is popular among former Trump supporters because of his Trump-like political Agenda. DeSantis wants to build a walled border between the USA and Mexico, introduce a six-week abortion ban, and policies that detrimentally affect ethnic minorities and LGBTQ. Despite being second in the polls he still has less than half of the support Trump has within the party.

Tim Scott

The only Black Republican Senator, he announced his candidacy on May 22nd 2023. According to the CNN candidacy rating he is ranked number three in the most likely opposition candidate to take on Biden in the polls. His policies include gun owning rights and some unclear anti-abortion legislation which would stop the mother aborting after between 6-10 weeks.

Mike Pence

Donald Trump’s former vice President , Mike Pence, announced his Candidacy on 7th June 2023. He has been against Trump since the January 6th riots in the Capitol. He has made his anti-Trump feelings clear. But  with a party that the majority of still supports Trump, many feel betrayed by him leaving Trump at the end.

Nikki Haley

The only female Republican candidate, Haley announced her candidacy for President on February 14th 2023. She was the US ambassador to the United Nations under Donald  Trump and the former Governor of South Carolina. She is opposed to abortion rights, as governor of South Carolina she signed a law that banned abortion after 20 weeks with no acceptances. She didn’t support Trump in his 2016 campaign for President. She doesn’t support restrictions on guns.