Who’s running for president in 2024? Meet the candidates — and likely candidates — vying for your vote

Donald Trump

Trump was the first candidate to formally announce a 2024 presidential run, launching his campaign in a November speech from Mar-a-Lago, his South Florida resort. Since then, Trump has spent little time on the campaign trail but has ramped up his travel in recent weeks with visits to Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two states on the GOP primary calendar. 

Considered to be the early frontrunner for the GOP nomination, Trump delivered the keynote address at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on March 4 after winning its straw poll of attendees.

While Trump remains popularity within the GOP, his legal troubles loom large over his candidacy. In March, he became the first ex-president to be charged with a crime when Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicted him on charges related to a “hush money” payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. 

In addition to two Justice Department investigations led by special counsel Jack Smith — one into his handling of documents marked classified discovered at Mar-a-Lago, and the second into efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election — there is an ongoing probe from local prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia.

Still, Trump told reporters at CPAC that an indictment would not deter him from seeking the presidency.

“I wouldn’t even think about leaving,” the former president said when asked whether he would stay in the race if charged. 

Nikki Haley

Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under Trump, joined the race for the Republican presidential nomination in mid-February, becoming the first challenger to her former boss. 

In her pitch to voters, Haley, 51, has characterized herself as part of a new generation of Republican leadership and proposed mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over the age of 75 — a subtle jab at Trump, who is 76, and Mr. Biden, who is 80.

The daughter of Indian immigrants, Haley was born in Bamberg, South Carolina, and served two terms as governor. She was the top U.S. diplomat at the United Nations during the Trump administration from January 2017 to December 2018.

Vivek Ramaswamy 

Ramaswamy, a former biotech executive, is considered a longshot for the Republican nomination but is so far only the third Republican to jump into the race.

At 37 years old and with a net worth of roughly $600 million, Ramaswamy has declared himself an “anti-woke” capitalist and decried corporate investment based on environmental, social and governance principles.

Ramaswamy is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, and has ties to Sen. J.D. Vance and major GOP donor Peter Thiel. 

Larry Elder

Conservative talk radio host Larry Elder was a gubernatorial candidate during California’s 2021 recall effort. The recall effort failed and Gov. Gavin Newsom kept his post, but Elder received the most votes — nearly 3.6 million — out of a large field trying to replace Newsom. 

Elder announced his bid for president last week on Fox News.

Asa Hutchinson

Hutchinson, the former governor of Arkansas, became the fourth Republican to announce a 2024 presidential bid when he said he was getting in the race on April 2.

Hutchinson, 72, served two terms as governor from 2015 to 2023. A former congressman, he was also one of the House impeachment managers for President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial.

He has said he opposes Trump’s third attempt to win the White House, describing a possible Trump 2024 nomination as the “worst scenario.”