The 2024 Presidential Campaign is in full swing. With the fate of the United States in the people’s hands, it is important to make an educated vote. When voting, you should pick a candidate that you believe will improve the country and represent your beliefs.
Out of 13 original Republican Presidential candidates, only two remain: Nikki Haley and Donald Trump. Three Democrats face them: President Joe Biden, Marianne Williamson, and Dean Phillips. Additionally, there are candidates from other parties: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Cornel West, and Jill Stein. Many of these names may sound unfamiliar, while others have been on the news regularly. Elections are confusing, but here is who will appear on your ballot this November.
Meet the Republican Candidates.
Former President Donald Trump
Age: 77
Birthplace: Queens, NY
Residence: Palm Beach, FL
Previous presidential campaigns: 2000, 2016, 2020
Offices Held: 45th President of the U.S. (2017-2021)
Education: University of Pennsylvania (BS)
About
Former President Trump was the first candidate to declare his intent to run for the Republican nomination in 2024. He also is the first former president to face any kind of criminal charges after being indicted by a Manhattan grand jury in a case regarding paying off an adult film star. He now faces federal charges related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago resort. He denied wrongdoing in both cases. Trump has been impeached twice and continues to falsely claim that he won the 2020 election. He intends to repeal many of the Biden administration’s initiatives. Polls indicate that nearly two-thirds of Republican primary voters would vote for Donald Trump.
Positions
Supports legislation that represents a “record investment” in police. [Source]
Pardon “a large portion” of the people convicted of federal offenses for their participation in the Jan. 6 Insurrection of the U.S. Capitol. [Source]
Plans to sign an executive order to “cease all programs that promote the concept of sex and gender transition at any age” and punish doctors who provide gender-affirming care to minors. [Source; source]
“Get something done” on abortion; has declined to specify details; has said a federal ban would need to include exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother. [Source; source]
Nikki Haley
Age: 52
Birthplace: Bamberg, SC
Residence: Kiawah Island, SC
Previous Presidential Campaigns: N/A
Offices Held: Former US Ambassador to the United Nations (2017-18), former Governor of South Carolina (2011-17)
Education: Clemson University (BA)
About
Nikki Haley was the first candidate to challenge her former boss for the Republican nomination. She has been critical of Trump and calls for a “new generation of leadership.”
Positions
Find “national consensus” on abortion; has declined to specify details; did, as governor of South Carolina, sign into law a ban at 20 weeks with no exceptions for rape or incest. [Source; source; source]
Restart the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy for asylum-seekers; mandate a national E-Verify program for businesses; “end sanctuary cities”; hire more Border Patrol and ICE agents. [Source]
Supports term limits for members of Congress and “mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75 years old.” [Source; source]
Meet the Democratic Candidates.
President Joe Biden
Age: 81
Birthplace: Scranton, PA
Residence: Washington, DC
Previous Presidential Campaigns: 1988, 2008, 2020
Offices Held: 46th President of the United States (2021-present), 47th Vice President (2009-2017), U.S Senator from Delaware (1973-2009)
Education: University of Delaware (BA), Syracuse University (JD)
About
President Joe Biden launched his re-election campaign by urging Americans to “finish the job.” He hopes to assert himself as the country’s best option against a field of Republican candidates. In Biden’s campaign announcement, he said that he intends to continue to “fight for our democracy” against “MAGA extremists.”
Positions
Protect Social Security and Medicare. [Source]
Cap the cost of insulin at $35 a month for all Americans. [Source]
Veto a national abortion ban if one makes it through Congress. [Source]
Protect democracy. [Source]
Continue to provide aid and assistance to Ukraine against Russian aggression. [Source]
Make the “wealthiest and the biggest corporations begin to pay their fair share” with a billionaire minimum tax; close tax loopholes; “quadruple the tax on corporate stock buybacks to encourage long-term investments instead”; ensure that anyone making under $400,000 a year won’t see a tax increase. [Source]
Marianne Williamson
Age: 71
Birthplace: Houston, TX
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Previous presidential campaigns: 2020
Offices Held: N/A
Education: N/A
About
Marianne Williamson is an author who gained notoriety on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” as Oprah’s spiritual adviser. Williamson ran unsuccessfully in 2020 and has never held political office.
Positions
“Vigorously resist any effort to restrict, limit, or diminish the reproductive rights and freedoms granted by Roe v. Wade.” [Source]
“Declare a national emergency around the gun violence epidemic”; “eliminate the sale of assault rifles and semi-automatic weapons, ban bump stocks, high-capacity magazines, and 3-D printing of firearms.” [Source]
Legalize “cannabis and psychedelics used for both recreational and medical purposes”; expunge previous convictions. [Source]
“Reach 100 percent renewable energy and dramatically reduce CO2 (carbon) emissions by 2035 or earlier.” [Source]
Dean Phillips
Age: 55
Birthplace: Saint Paul, MN
Residence: Wayzata, MN
Previous Presidential Campaigns: N/A
Offices Held: U.S. Representative from Minnesota’s 3rd district (2019-present)
Education: Brown University (BA), University of Minnesota (MBA)
About
Dean Phillips is a three-term congressman and former CEO. He has been critical of Joe Biden’s bid for reelection and raised concerns about the president’s age and approval ratings. When asked about his plans in August, Phillips said “My real call to action right now is not about me. The call to action is to ask the president to pass the torch.” Phillips has missed the filing deadline to participate in the Nevada Democratic Primary, one of the first of 2024.
Positions
“Enhance public safety” through increased funding for police departments and first responders “for up-to-date training practices and access to necessary equipment, and for mental health services for community members and first responders alike.” [Source]
“Supports comprehensive immigration reform, including enhanced border security, a pathway to citizenship for those here now, and a streamlined process for those seeking to enter the country legally.” [Source]
“Believes patients—not politicians—should have the freedom to make personal decisions about their own health, including when it comes to reproductive health.” [Sour
Meet the Independents.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Age: 70
Birthplace: Washington, DC
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Previous presidential campaigns: 1988, 2008
Offices held: N/A
Education: Harvard University (BA), University of Virginia (JD), Pace University (LLM)
About
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the son of Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy. He is an environmental lawyer and author. Kennedy is an anti-vaccine activist and leads the Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit group that has been suspended from Facebook and Instagram after spreading misinformation during the Covid-19 outbreak.
Campaign
“Dismantle the censorship-industrial complex, in which Big Tech censors, deplatforms, shadowbans, and algorithmically suppresses any person or opinion the government asks them to.” [Source]
“Transform the police”; “train them in de escalation and mediation skills and partner them with neighborhood organizations.” [Source]
“Significantly drop the level of chronic disease in our children.” (Kennedy blames childhood vaccines for autism.) [Source]
“Lead the way toward national reconciliation”; “take racial healing seriously through a program of Targeted Community Repair.” [Source]
Cornel West
Age: 70
Birthplace: Tulsa, OK
Residence: Princeton, NJ
Previous Presidential Campaigns: N/A
Offices held: N/A
Education: Harvard University (BA), Princeton University (MA, PhD)
About
Cornel West is a progressive activist and author. He initially announced his candidacy in June 2023 as a member of the People’s Party but switched to run for the Green Party nine days later. When asked why he was not challenging Biden in the Democratic primary, West said that “neither party is speaking to the pressing needs of poor and working people.”
Campaign
“Wealth tax on all billionaire holdings and transactions”; “national $27 minimum wage”; “establish a federal Universal Basic Income commission” [Source]
“Transform Paid Family Leave to mandate a minimum of six-months fully paid time off”; “institute a four-day work week”; “national free pre-K childcare” [Source]
“Immediate cessation of all oil and gas leasing projects on federal lands and waters”; “federal moratorium on fracking, carbon capture, and direct air capture technologies, geoengineering, and other false climate solutions” [Source]
“Codify abortion rights as a Constitutional mandate”; “nationalize the healthcare industry, including the pharmaceutical industry” [Source]
Jill Stein
Age: 73
Birthplace: Chicago, IL
Residence: Lexington, MA
Previous presidential campaigns: 2012, 2016
Offices Held: None
Education: Harvard University (BA, MD)
About
Jill Stein is a physician and environmental activist. She is running for the Green Party. Stein launched her campaign with a video posted to Facebook, where she criticized “both parties” and said that the two-party political system is “broken”. Before launching her campaign, Stein worked as a transition coordinator on Cornel West’s campaign for the Green Party nomination. Stein was the Green Party nominee for president in 2012 and 2016.
Campaign
Establish “an Economic Bill of Rights, including the right to a living-wage job, housing, food, healthcare, education and more” [Source]
Establish a Green New Deal “with massive investment in green jobs, industries, and technologies” [Source]
Promises “to put an end to the shameful legacy of systemic discrimination against women, Black and Brown people, Indigenous people, immigrants, people with disabilities, the LGBTQIA+ community, and other marginalized groups” [Source]
“End the endless wars”; create new foreign policy “based on diplomacy, international law, and human rights to oppose violence, occupation, and apartheid.” [Source]
Updated list of candidates and their current status: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-elections/presidential-candidates-tracker#donald_trump
