The 2024 GOP field is getting less crowded.
If you’re having trouble keeping track of all the Republicans jumping into the 2024 Presidential election lately, you’re not the only one. But we’re here to help.
The race first started heating up in February when Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and ambassador to the United Nations, became the first major political figure to officially mount a challenge against former president Trump.
But since then, several candidates have dropped, including former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and most recently, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. This puts Haley in a head-to-head match-up with Trump.
With the first few debates already behind us, this list could still change substantially. Here’s a look at who’s already running for the Oval Office. And find out which Democrats are running for president, too.
Republicans running for President in 2024
Donald Trump
Just a week after November’s midterms, former President Trump became the first to jump into the 2024 Republican primary, vowing to make “America great and glorious again.” Though Trump still enjoys broad support among GOP voters, some within the party blame him for their disappointing performances in the 2022 election cycle after several of his hand-picked candidates, like former Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz, faced unexpected losses.
He also faces some major legal roadblocks. On March 30, he became the first former president to be indicted in a hush-money case involving a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. But Trump has made it clear that a criminal conviction won’t stop him from running for president. “I’d never drop out, it’s not my thing,” the former president told Fox News’s Tucker Carlson.
percent, compared to the former president’s 58 percent lead.
Nikki Haley
In a video posted on Twitter, Haley announced her candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination, calling for a “new generational change” in the party.”
Haley’s announcement had been expected for months by fellow Republicans, including Trump himself, who found out in January and encouraged his now-competitor to “follow her heart.”
Just how much of a chance does she stand against her former boss? Haley has consistently polled at a low 3 percent — well behind Trump (who’s currently at 47 percent) as well as several other contenders, according to a recent poll from Morning Consult.
But some are already saying not to count her out just yet: Republican Sen. Mitt Romney told CBS News people might be “surprised to see how well” she does. If elected, she’d become the first female president and the first U.S. president of Indian descent.
Republicans who have dropped out
Francis Suarez
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez was the first candidate to drop out of the GOP race.
“While I have decided to suspend my campaign for President, my commitment to making this a better nation for every American remains,” Suarez said on Aug. 29 in a post shared on X.
Suarez, who first launched his campaign in mid-June, was the only Hispanic candidate in the race. In a statement following his decision to end his campaign, he vowed to “continue to amplify the voices of the Hispanic community.”
A number of fellow candidates with lagging poll numbers and support could soon follow as the race continues to heat up.
Larry Elder
Conservative talk radio host Larry Elder announced his long-shot presidential bid in April. “America is in decline, but this decline is not inevitable,” Elder said in a tweet announcing the news.
If his name doesn’t ring any bells, then you might remember him as the candidate who unsuccessfully tried to unseat California Gov. Gavin Newsom in California’s 2021 recall election. During that bid, Elder opposed the minimum wage, called for letting employers ask female applicants whether they plan to get pregnant, and supported Trump’s false election claims.
Elder dropped out of the 2024 race in October, and threw his weight behind Donald Trump. He said that Trump’s leadership was “instrumental in advancing conservative America-first principles and policies that have benefited our great nation.”
Will Hurd
After struggling to gain traction among Republicans, former Texas Rep. Will Hurd officially ended his bid. On Oct. 10, Hurd announced that he was suspending his campaign and endorsing fellow GOP candidate Nikki Haley.
“Ambassador Haley has shown a willingness to articulate a different vision for the country than Donald Trump and has an unmatched grasp on the complexities of our foreign policy,” Hurd wrote in a lengthy post on the social platform X. “I wholeheartedly endorse Ambassador Haley and look forward to supporting her for the remainder of this race.”
The annoucement comes after former congressman failed to qualify for the first GOP debate in Milwaukee in August and the second debate the following month in Simi Valley, California.
Mike Pence
Former Vice President Mike Pence has been no stranger to expressing his presidential aspirations, but his campaign was short-lived. After struggling to raise funds and gain traction in the polls, he announced that he was leaving the GOP primary race.
“We always knew this would be an uphill battle, but I have no regrets,” Pence said at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual gathering in Las Vegas, which prompted a standing ovation.
So far, Pence hasn’t endorsed any of his former rivals, though he has vowed to continue to help elect conservative leaders at every level of government.
Tim Scott
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott abruptly announced that he’s leaving the 2024 race, ending his campaign to become the first Black candidate to secure the GOP nomination.
“I love America more today than I did on May 22,” Scott told Fox News Channel’s Sunday Night in America. “But when I go back to Iowa, it will not be as a presidential candidate. I am suspending my campaign. I think the voters who are the most remarkable people on the planet have been really clear that they’re telling me, ‘Not now, Tim.’”
The move apparently surprised donors and even some on his own team. Just minutes before he made his exit, his campaign sent a fundraising email to further Scott’s “strong leadership and optimistic, positive vision to lead our country forward.”
Like many of his rivals, Scott struggled to gain traction in the polls and his relationship status often overshadowed his campaign. Amid questions about her identity, his girlfriend Mindy Noce, who’s an interior designer, joined him on stage after the third Republican debate in Miami. “It’s like a different form of discrimination or bias,” Scott told The Washington Post amid speculation about who he was dating. “You can’t say I’m Black, because that would be terrible, so find something else that you can attack.”
Doug Burgum
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has suspended his long-shot presidential campaign. The second-term governor, who first launched his 2024 bid in June, centered his platform on the economy, energy, and national security, and warned that China is the “No. 1 threat” to America.
There is a litany of reasons why Burgum’s run didn’t work out. For starters, the former Microsoft executive lacked the same name recognition as his rivals, and his campaign was mostly self-funded. Both of these struggles were apparent in the polls, where he ranked at less than one percent.
Due to his low polling, Burgum didn’t qualify for the third and fourth debates. In his announcement, Burgum criticized the Republican National Committee, and its qualification criteria for making the debate stage, which was tightened in November. “This effort to nationalize the primary system is unhealthy for the future of the party, especially for a party that proclaims to value leadership from outside of Washington.”
Chris Christie
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie suspended his presidential campaign following pressure to do so by fellow Republicans.
Christie, who first launched his campaign in June, was one of the few GOP contenders who was repeatedly critical of Trump during his campaign, and his unsuccessful bid for president doesn’t appear to have changed this sentiment.
“I want to promise you this,” Christie said in a speech announcing the end of his run. “I’m going to make sure that in no way do I enable Donald Trump to ever be president of the United States again. And that’s more important than my own personal ambition.”
Vivek Ramaswamy
Wealthy biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy officially dropped out of the 2024 race and endorsed Trump for president. His announcement came after the Iowa caucus, where he placed a distant fourth behind rivals Haley and DeSantis.
His decision to back Trump didn’t exactly come as a surprise, though. While campaigning, Ramaswamy often emphasized the former president’s “America First” policies, including on hot-button issues like immigration.
“I wouldn’t call myself a disciple of Donald Trump,” Ramaswamy told NPR last May. “I would embrace the label of ‘America First’ to point out that ‘America first’ is bigger than Donald Trump. It does not belong to Donald Trump.”
Asa Hutchinson
Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson ended his bid for president after finishing sixth in the Iowa caucuses.
“I stand by the campaign I ran,” Hutchinson said in his annoucement. “I answered every question, sounded the warning to the GOP about the risks in 2024 and presented hope for our country’s future.”
Having branded himself as the “non-Trump” candidate, Hutchinson frequently spoke out against the former president, calling him the “worst scenario” for Republicans.
Ron DeSantis
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended his Republican presidential campaign, and after months of contentious exchanges, endorsed his bitter rival, Trump. “It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance,” he said in a video.
DeSantis’ decision didn’t exactly come as a surprise, given his 30-point loss last week in Iowa, but it does mark a notable decline of a high-profile governor who was previously thought to be a legitimate threat to the former president.
But you could also argue that his bid was doomed from the start. When he announced his candidacy last May, his Twitter livestream event crashed after more than 500,000 users logged on to hear the news — “kind of melting the servers,” as event co-host David Sacks put it. Former President Trump’s allies posted a stream of laughing emojis — and Trump himself took to Truth Social to write: “The DeSanctus TWITTER launch is a DISASTER!” Once his campaign got going, his chances didn’t improve and he continued to trail Trump by the double digits.
