The 2022 midterm election may soon be behind us, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t already thinking of another big election cycle, the presidential election.
Rumors, thoughts and speculation of who could be on the 2024 presidential ticket have already been swirling in the country and it probably won’t die down at the end of midterm elections. Former President Donald Trump has already stoked the flame of followers on the campaign trail in Ohio for a possible 2024 bid on the Republican ticket and President Joe Biden is studying a reelection bid in 2024.
Here’s what’s already happening in the bid for the White House:
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Trump dangled the proverbial carrot of a 2024 bid for a while during the 2022 midterm campaign and once again threw the notion out to his base during a November trip to Ohio where he stumped for GOP candidates and in a 2022 rally in Texas.
“I will probably have to do it again,” Trump told supporters during the rally in Texas.
Less than a week after the midterm elections Trump announced his bid for the 2024 presidency on Nov. 15 from his Mar-a-Lago home.
Minutes before his scheduled 9 p.m. announcement, Trump filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission saying he was running for president in 2024, and setting up a fundraising account.
“America’s comeback starts right now,” Trump said during his speech at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida.
So far, only a handful of candidates are believed will try for a bid on the Republican or Democratic ticket in 2024.
And the former president might not be the only one eyeing a Republican bid. Other potential Republican primary challengers could be Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence.
Throughout the election season, DeSantis has done something many an aspiring presidential candidate has done and flown off and campaigned for Republican candidates in battleground states like Arizona, Ohio and Wisconsin. Trump endorsed several party members in 2022, but DeSantis was not among them.
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Pence took to the campaign trail as well, spending time in the South before heading up to Michigan ahead of Election Day.
In October, Pence dropped a hint that he may make a run during an event at Georgetown University when he was asked about voting for his ex-boss if Trump ran in 2024. He gave a long pause before answering.
“Well, there might be somebody else I’d prefer more,” he said.
Several confidants of Pence have also stated the former vice president and governor of Indiana is also considering a run.
And lastly is Biden, who could seek a reelection bid in 2024.
Even though the President will be 80 at the end of the month, he has stated he is healthy and eager to run again, especially if Trump is the opponent.
There has been no other Democrat who has hinted at a run so far, but that could always change.
An October USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll found that Americans aren’t exactly thrilled with the idea of a Biden-Trump rematch in the 2024 presidential election.
In a prospective presidential race, Biden leads Trump 46%-42% – a 4-point margin that mirrors Biden’s 4.2-point defeat of Trump in 2020. The poll consisted of 1,000 likely midterm voters and was taken by landline and cellphone Oct. 19-24, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
A possible showdown between them could happen, but there are some obstacles in the way.
Trump is under investigation in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., over efforts to overturn the 2020 election, the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021, and the removal of classified documents as he left the White House.
By 64%-26%, voters don’t want Biden to run for a second term. And his possible run for reelection could hinge on how Democrats do in the midterms.
The next presidential election is in 2024, but like in years past the start of the campaign trail begins early.
After the midterms, more speculation on who will and who won’t run for president until official candidacy announcements are made.
The 2024 election will be the 60th quadrennial presidential election and is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.
USAToday contributed to this report.
Joyce Orlando is a digital producer with the South Digital Optimization Team. She can be reached at jorlando@gannett.com.