Kyler Alvord leads PEOPLE's digital politics coverage as a senior news editor for the brand. He joined the publication in 2021 on the crime beat.
Age: 79
Party: Democratic
Less than two months after his 2021 inauguration, President Joe Biden announced his intention to run for reelection in 2024, with Vice President Kamala Harris joining him on the ticket once again. Biden — who served as a U.S. Senator from 1973 until his promotion to vice president in 2009 — is a career Democrat who’s garnered a reputation for speaking his mind on issues he supports (in 2012, he made history for announcing his support of same-sex marriage before the Obama administration had a chance to sign off).
After beating out a strong pool of Democratic candidates in the 2020 presidential primaries, he faced incumbent President Donald Trump, securing both the popular vote and electoral college.
President Biden is an obvious frontrunner in the 2024 election, though his lackluster approval ratings over issues surrounding the economy — and his age — have left some members of his own party questioning whether he can pull off another win. Since the 2022 midterms, in which Democratic candidates massively over-performed, retained control of the Senate and picked up new governor seats, he has gotten a bit more credit.
Many Democratic hopefuls in recent presidential elections — such as Vice President Harris, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren — have used Biden’s plans to run again as a reason for staying out of the 2024 election, creating leeway for them to change their mind if Biden decides to sit the next cycle out.
Age: 76
Party: Republican
Twice impeached and full of controversy, former President Donald Trump is far from the ideal candidate to lead the Republican Party in 2024, but he’s proven before that he can command an audience — perhaps too well, after a mob of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on his behalf to try and keep him in power after losing reelection to Joe Biden — and that’s enough to make him a serious contender.
Trump left the White House on a sour note, with members of his own party turning on him for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. Since leaving office, several former staffers have come forward with shocking allegations about his conduct, and he continues to be the subject of multiple criminal investigations.
Still, Trump has stayed active in politics, campaigning for far-right candidates throughout the midterm election cycle. His endorsees fared poorly at the polls, contributing to Republicans losing important races and suggesting the unpopularity of election denialism, but it didn’t faze him: On Nov. 15, 2022, he formally declared his candidacy in the 2024 presidential election.
Age: 48
Party: Democratic
Stacey Abrams, one of PEOPLE’s 2021 Women Changing the World, continues to be a rising star in the Democratic Party, credited with mobilizing the masses and helping turn Georgia blue in the 2020 election for the first time in nearly 30 years. That said, the Peach State has remained her focus thus far, as she sought the Georgia governorship for a second time in 2022, ultimately being defeated.
Abrams has openly declared her intention to run for president at some point in her career, but has not yet suggested that 2024 is the year. Up until recently, she had planned to be in the governor’s mansion until at least 2028. Now that she will not be carrying out a full term in Georgia, it’s unclear if she’ll face pressure from Democrats to speed up her timeline.
Age: 40
Party: Democratic
Unknown to the world only a few years ago, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, quickly entered the conversation when he announced plans to run for president in the 2020 election. Pete Buttigieg placed fifth in the primaries after dropping out of the race and endorsing Joe Biden. He currently serves as the secretary of transportation for the Biden administration and has been deemed the most likely Democratic replacement for President Biden by political strategists.
Buttigieg, a former naval officer who served in Afghanistan, graduated from Harvard before attending Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar. He has proven whip-smart when it comes to policy, political strategy and foreign affairs, aided by his knowledge of eight languages and experience on multiple high-profile political campaigns, including John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign.
If voted the United States’ 47th leader, Buttigieg — a proud Christian — would become the youngest elected president sworn into office and the first openly gay president.
Age: 56
Party: Republican
Representing Wyoming in the House of Representatives since 2017, Liz Cheney — daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney — has earned bipartisan respect as a voice of reason during increasingly polarized times. Following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots, Cheney was one of 10 Republicans to vote in favor of impeaching President Trump, a move that quickly cost her the title of third-ranking House Republican after representatives voted to remove her as chairman of the party’s House caucus.
Since 2021, Cheney has repeatedly doubled down on her opposition of Trump, even vice chairing the House committee organized to investigate his role in the Capitol riots. As a result, she’s been ostracized by the outer reaches of the Republican Party and lost her uphill battle to reelection to a Trump-backed candidate in August. But even after getting booted from Congress, she remains proud of her choices, saying her oath to defend the Constitution transcends her status as an elected conservative.
While Cheney has not formally revealed plans to run for president in 2024, she has repeatedly entertained the idea and — after losing her bid for another term in the House over the summer — said she would be making a decision on her future plans in the coming months. “I won’t let a former president or anyone else unravel the democracy,” she previously told Today‘s Savannah Guthrie in 2021. “Whatever it takes.”
Age: 51
Party: Republican
After President Trump lost reelection in 2020, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz began branding himself as the next far-right leader to stand up for Trump-era values. He became a vocal proponent of overturning 2020 presidential election results and backed baseless claims of voter fraud while continuing to preach his conservative views on COVID-19 mandates, gun rights and immigration.
Cruz, who came in second to Trump in 2016’s Republican presidential primaries, has — like Trump —proven an expert at sparking controversy, often losing his battles in the court of public opinion. But he carries on, clinging to the support of an extremist base overlapping with the one that helped send Trump to the White House.
The former solicitor general of Texas has not declared candidacy yet, but has repeatedly hinted at the possibility, even telling a teenager-run conservative media outlet that he would do it “in a heartbeat,” adding, “There’s a reason historically that the runner-up is almost always the next nominee.” That all depends on who else joins the race, though, as Trump and some other, fresher faces in the Republican Party could cast a shadow over his campaign.
Age: 44
Party: Republican
As Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis has characterized the division that encapsulates the state’s political makeup. A hero among right-wing conservatives and a proud enemy to others, he riles up a similar base as Trump, posing a threat to the former president if he was to seek the Republican nomination. Though he previously downplayed his intentions to run for president, he is widely considered a top contender in the 2024 race. In a July poll conducted by The New York Times/Siena College, DeSantis was the most popular alternative to Trump in a hypothetical question about which rumored candidate Republicans would support in 2024 — after the November midterms, in which DeSantis garnered more enthusiasm than Trump’s candidates, he may now be in an even stronger position.
DeSantis has dominated headlines since assuming the office of governor as the commander in chief of America’s culture wars, restricting voting rights, enacting Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, politicizing the concept of critical race theory, pushing to ban gender-affirming medical care, refusing to order COVID vaccines for young children, and scolding students wearing masks. Acknowledging that DeSantis lacks the charisma Trump has, a political insider tells PEOPLE, “He is shrewd and makes sure he looks like he is doing the right thing.” His talent? “He is a leader unruffled by controversy.”
Prior to becoming governor in 2019, DeSantis represented Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Age: 50
Party: Republican
On June 30, the former South Carolina governor and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President Trump told reporters in Iowa that she is open to running for president in 2024 “if there’s a place for me.”
The Des Moines Register reported that Nikki Haley said, “I’ve never lost a race. I’m not going to start now. I’ll put 1,000 percent in and I’ll finish it.” Days before those comments, she told Fox News that she will reveal her decision about running early in 2023. In a July poll conducted by The New York Times/Siena College, Haley was tied with Mike Pence for fourth place in a hypothetical question about which rumored candidate Republicans would support in 2024. Since then, she seems to have faded out of the conversation more as Pence and DeSantis take center stage.
Haley has been a supporter of Trump since he earned the Republican Party nomination in 2016, later calling him a “friend” and tweeting in January 2021 that she was “really proud of the successes of the Trump administration.” Following the deadly Capitol riots, she delivered mixed messages on her support of Trump, at once bashing his critics and calling his actions a letdown. Later in 2021, she said that if Trump runs for president again, she will support him and not contest him, adding another layer of uncertainty if his declaration of candidacy will keep her from moving forward.
Age: 58
Party: Democratic
The United States’ vice president to president pipeline is well-established, beginning with the nation’s first veep, John Adams, who went on to succeed George Washington. Since then, we’ve seen 14 additional VPs ascend to the highest office, the most recent being our current commander in chief, Joe Biden. Kamala Harris, an experienced attorney who climbed the political ranks relatively quickly, could be the next to vie for the White House — if her boss doesn’t run again.
Harris first gained prominence in her home state of California as the district attorney of San Francisco, which ultimately earned her a six-year stint as the California attorney general. She served as the junior senator of California for only four years before being sworn in as vice president.
If she were to run for the presidency in 2024, she would have a head start due to her familiarity with the role and obvious qualifications. But in order to find success, she’ll need to win members of her party back who have equated her with Biden’s ill-received performance. It will not be an easy task, but neither was becoming the nation’s first female, first Black and first Asian vice president.
Age: 42
Party: Republican
Formerly the attorney general of Missouri, Sen. Josh Hawley unseated Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill in 2018 to become the Show-Me State’s junior senator. In his short tenure, he has become a routinely headline-making official, often for participating in — or spearheading — culture wars. Equated by many to Sen. Ted Cruz for his loyalty to Trumpian beliefs, political strategists have posited that Hawley has been gearing up to become the next leader of far-right movement that has landed the Republican Party in turmoil.
After Trump lost the 2020 election, Hawley announced that he would refuse to certify the Electoral College vote count in an effort to keep Joe Biden out of the White House. In addition to spreading election fraud lies, he was seen putting a fist in the air in solidarity with the Capitol rioters on Jan. 6, 2021, a move that ultimately cost him his book deal with Simon & Schuster. In July 2022, the House committee investigating the insurrection released a clip of Hawley fleeing the Capitol in a hurry just hours after encouraging rioters, eliciting laughter from the audience and leading to a Missouri newspaper calling him a “laughingstock.”
But while many Democrats and Republicans agree on their disdain for Hawley, the voters that do support him are very passionate. If Hawley was able to convince his target demographic to side with him over similar politicians like Trump, DeSantis and Cruz — who have had more time in office to make enemies — he could become a serious contender for the White House. He has so far played coy on running for president, but experts feel confident his name will arise in talks for the next election.
Age: 66
Party: Republican
At the helms of the Democratic state of Maryland, Republican Gov. Larry Hogan has proven his ability to pull some left-leaning voters to his corner. One of the most respected governors in office right now, Hogan has been openly planting the seeds of a possible White House run in 2024, making stops in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and meeting with donors in Maryland’s capital.
"I want to be in position," Hogan told an audience in New Hampshire, when he was asked if there'd be room for him to run in a crowded election centered around Trump. "Is there a lane? That's part of what we're trying to find out."
As The Washington Post reports, his impressively high approval rating doesn’t necessarily translate to a presidential run. Even while 74% of registered Republican voters in Maryland approved of his job performance in late September, only 35% say they’d support him for president over Trump.
Though Hogan has portrayed himself as a moderate in Maryland — a necessary move to excel in a traditionally blue state — his national speeches appeal more broadly to conservatives, stating that he's not moderate but rather "willing to work across the aisle."
It's true that compared to other prominent Republicans today, he is more likely to break from the pack — on issues like climate, same-sex marriage, abortion, COVID-19 and immigration, he's taken more moderate stances than some counterparts, albeit not wholly liberal. He has also endorsed GOP candidates whose views are more extreme than his own, at one point campaigning for a New Hampshire state Senator who previously denied the results of the 2020 election and has rejected COVID-19 mandates.
Hogan will leave the office of governor in January, giving him time to mull over whether he wants to invest in a bid for the White House.
Age: 62
Party: Democratic
Sen. Amy Klobuchar has been a notable figure in Minnesota for several years, serving as the chief prosecutor for the state’s most populous county before becoming the first woman elected to represent Minnesota in U.S. Senate. But her grand entry to the national stage was in 2018, during the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh, when an infamous exchange between the two about Kavanaugh’s drinking habits led many to question whether his temperament — on top of horrific sexual assault allegations already made against him — disqualified him to serve on the country’s highest court.
Klobuchar ran with the praise she earned for her precise questioning in the hearings and declared candidacy for president in the 2020 election, ultimately placing sixth in the Democratic primary and endorsing Joe Biden after dropping out of the race.
Though the senior Minnesota senator has some baggage — in 2019, a former aide accused her of treating her staff disrespectfully and creating a toxic work environment — she is a relatively safe candidate for the Democratic Party. Like Biden, she’s not too controversial and not too outspoken; also like Biden, though, she may struggle to excite voters at a time when enthusiasm is desperately needed.
Age: 55
Party: Democratic
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has a wealth of experience in his home state, formerly serving as lieutenant governor and San Francisco mayor, though it remains unclear how he would be received on the national level. In July, he aired a television ad in Florida markets targeting their Republican governor, Ron DeSantis — another rumored presidential candidate — leading some to wonder if he was testing the waters for a 2024 run.
Newsom, the onetime husband of conservative TV personality Kimberly Guilfoyle, has built a career around progressive values, allowing him to survive a recall campaign in 2021 and earning him a breezy reelection as California’s leader in the 2022 midterms.
Age: 50
Party: Republican
A former U.S. representative and the current South Dakota governor, Kristi Noem has been rumored to be considering a presidential run, despite her current race for reelection.
South Dakota Public Broadcasting noted that Noem ran digital ads in three states beyond where she lives, each of which have early presidential primaries and are considered key states to win in order to get a major party’s nomination. Previously asked by CBS News’ chief White House correspondent if she was considering a presidential bid, Noem said, “I don’t rule it out. Just because people bring it up quite often.”
The governor is faithfully conservative on social and health issues. She previously came under fire in her home state after intervening when her daughter was denied a real estate appraisal license in South Dakota, allegedly pulling strings to get her daughter certified and leading to the forced retirement of the woman overseeing the certification program. Even so, Noem’s scandal may be too localized to dissuade staunchly conservative voters around the nation from supporting a woman seeking to make history in D.C.
Age: 33
Party: Democratic
While Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also known as AOC, does not currently meet the age requirement to serve as president of the United States, the internet savvy politician will turn 35 three months before Inauguration Day in 2025, deeming her eligible to run in the next election.
After working for Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign as an organizer, AOC launched her own campaign in New York City to unseat a 10-term House Democrat. Running as a self-described democratic socialist — a labor-oriented movement with progressive values — and waiting tables during her campaign to make ends meet, AOC engaged a new generation of voters with her relatable lifestyle and ambitious policy proposals. In the Nov. 2018 election, she defied the odds and became the youngest female ever elected to U.S. Congress at just 29 years old.
Since assuming the office in 2019, AOC has been one of the most recognizable names in Congress, pushing for progressive legislation and famously spearheading the House campaign to establish a Green New Deal during her first year.
AOC’s strength lies in her ability to excite young voters about the legislative process, inform the general public about complex governmental issues and fearlessly take on veteran colleagues. But her alignment with democratic socialism is not well-received by many, making her enemy No.1 for Republicans and a threat to moderate Democrats. If she were to announce candidacy for president, she would face an uphill battle toward gaining a majority of her party’s support.
Age: 63
Party: Republican
As vice president under Donald Trump, Mike Pence gained prominence as the more traditionally conservative politician in the administration. Before that, he’d made a name for himself in his home state of Indiana as governor and, prior, a longtime representative in the U.S. House.
Pence sits in an interesting position as 2024 approaches. He once was considered a valiant hero by Trump followers, who viewed him as the loyal and stable counterpart to the president, but after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots, Trump’s most loyal fans turned on him for not halting the ceremonial vote count that declared Joe Biden president. Fortunately for Pence, many who were disgusted by Trump’s involvement in the insurrection sided with the vice president, believing him to be a true patriot who put the health of the nation over his demanding boss.
Trump has made it clear that Pence will not join him on the ticket again if he runs a third time, making room for Pence to challenge his former partner in a primary. In a July poll conducted by The New York Times/Siena College, Pence was tied with Nikki Haley for fourth place in a hypothetical question about which rumored candidate Republicans would support in 2024. Since then, a memoir release and several public appearances have elevated his status as a potential challenger to his onetime boss.
Age: 58
Party: Republican
One of Donald Trump’s secretaries of state, Mike Pompeo suggested in September that he is “doing the things one would do to get ready” for a presidential run in 2024, noting that he’s strategically established teams in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina to test the waters.
"We are trying to figure out if [the White House] is the next place for us to serve," Pompeo told a Chicago crowd. "If we conclude it is, we'll go make the case to the American people of why that is. And in the end, the American people, I pray, will make a good decision about who's going to be their next leader."
Prior to running the State Department from 2018-2021, Pompeo had served as director of the Central Intelligence Agency and represented Kansas in the U.S. House.
During his career, Pompeo has been a vocal opponent of combatting climate change, saying in 2019 that melting sea ice would help the Arctic region by creating new shipping routes and “opportunities for trade.” On abortion, he has expressed anti-choice sentiments — including making exceptions for rape — and he has opposed same-sex marriage.
Despite Trump's bid for reelection in 2024, Pompeo seems intrigued, declaring during his September remarks: "I'm deeply grateful to have been hired as secretary of state, and I hope [Trump] enjoys retirement."
Age: 57
Party: Democratic
One of many elected officials to find themself at the center of a gun violence tragedy, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has sparked buzz as a possible Democratic challenger to President Biden, though he has not presently declared an intention to leave state politics.
The first-term governor, a billionaire businessman and member of the wealthy family behind Hyatt hotels, is not exactly the political figure on everyone’s lips — but throughout his 2022 reelection campaign he traveled around the nation in support of abortion rights, helping other elected officials rally Democrats in support of progressive causes. His bold response to Highland Park’s deadly Fourth of July parade shooting only amplified whispers that his energy could translate to strong voter enthusiasm come 2024.
Age: 81
Party: Independent
As long as Sen. Bernie Sanders is still kicking, a portion of America will continue feeling the Bern. Widely considered a forefather of the modern progressive movement — making room for politicians like Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to continue his legacy with their own unique spins — the octogenarian is, perhaps surprisingly, a fan favorite among young Democratic voters. After placing second to Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primary, and second again to Joe Biden in 2020, many believed his time was up. But while he’s promised not to challenge Biden if he seeks another term, Sanders hasn’t ruled out running again in 2024 if the field opens up.
The independent lawmaker served as mayor of Burlington, Vermont, in the '80s before representing the Green Mountain State first in the House, then in the Senate. Though he is not technically a Democrat, Sanders' runs for president have been on the Democratic ticket, as third parties are not currently a viable path to the White House.
Sanders, like other self-described "democratic socialists," is a divisive figure among Democratic voters and the nation at large, with many viewing his affiliation as too extreme to lead the U.S. Boiled down his views are ambitious, but ultimately centered on supporting the working-class — something that a majority of Americans would benefit from.
His biggest hurdle if he were to run, though, may not actually be his political stances but his age. He has proven that he can rally voters, but a year older than President Biden, he’s not the young blood that many in the Democratic Party are hoping for in 2024, and each election that goes by without securing the party’s nomination escalates concerns of his ability to carry out the duties of president for a full four to eight years.
Age: 73
Party: Democratic
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts has become a leading political voice on economic and human rights issues, known during her 2020 presidential campaign as the candidate who could explain the root of America’s problems and had detailed plans to fix them.
The former Harvard law professor predicted the financial crash of 2008, and played a role in helping the government navigate it in live time. Perhaps one of the most intelligent Democratic politicians today, Warren seems apt for the role of party leader — but as the nation saw during her 2020 campaign, being labeled as a progressive scared some voters away, ultimately placing her third in the crowded primary pack.
Interestingly, Warren was long viewed as conservative and was registered as a Republican in the '90s before switching her party affiliation to Democratic. Though she says she didn't swear by the right's platform and often voted for Democrats as well, she believed Republicans best supported the markets. She later adjusted that belief and found that she could champion the cause of supporting middle-class Americans and getting the nation out of debt by proposing tax increases on the wealthiest billionaires and keeping corporations in check.
Warren has said that if Biden runs, she will support him for president, adding that she is focused on her Senate reelection and not thinking about the presidency right now. Some speculate that if Biden were to withdraw from the race, though, she may reconsider — and she certainly could build a strong campaign.
Age: 51
Party: Democratic
Once on Joe Biden’s shortlist for vice president, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is a proven powerhouse who managed to clinch the state’s top position in 2018, just two years after it swung red in favor of Donald Trump. With her hold on a key swing state, Whitmer could prove invaluable on the Democratic ticket in 2024, particularly since she has experience holding her own against personal attacks by Trump.
Gov. Whitmer spent most of 2022 distracted by her reelection bid, in which she faced (and beat) a deeply conservative Trump-backed candidate. Though Whitmer has not declared an intent to leave Michigan politics, she has repeatedly been identified as someone who could excel in federal government. Her reelection to begin a new term may keep her from looking elsewhere — but at the same time, it reaffirmed her Midwest stronghold, surely heightening external pressures to set her eyes on the White House.
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