Who's running for president in 2024?
After a contentious 2020 election cycle that ended in an insurrection at the nation's capitol, the 2024 stakes are high.
Though the 2024 election is more than a year away, plenty of candidates have already made clear their intention to run for the nation's highest office.
After a contentious 2020 election cycle that saw Biden topple Trump's reelection hopes and election fraud claims fuel an insurrection at the capitol, the 2024 stakes remain high.
Though Iowa Democrats lost their first-in-the-nation caucus status, the Republican caucuses are scheduled as usual, which has brought plenty of presidential hopefuls to the Hawkeye State.
Here's what you need to know about each of the candidates vying to be the next president of the United States.
Local 5 will continue to update this list as new candidates enter the race.
Democratic Candidates
President Joe Biden announced his 2024 campaign on April 25, 2023, following months of hinting toward a reelection run.
The three-minute announcement video dropped on the four-year anniversary of his 2019 campaign declaration, amid high inflation and financial wariness.
The Biden administration has been marked by monumental international events, from the rushed 2021 removal of troops from Afghanistan to continued, increasing aid for Ukraine throughout 2023.
Some policy goals, including Biden's push for student loan forgiveness, have yet to be realized — but his campaign video asked for a chance to deliver on them: "Let's finish the job."
If Biden were to win reelection, he'd be America's oldest president and finish his second term at 86 years old.
One of Biden's only challengers comes in the form of 69-year-old Democratic candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., widely known for his staunchly anti-vaccine stance.
Part of a dynastic political family, Kennedy joined the ranks of his father and uncle when he announced his bid for the White House on April 5, 2023.
Kennedy's anti-vaccine charity, Children's Health Defense, raised nearly $7 million in 2020 as the pandemic began. Oftentimes, his anti-vaccine sentiments have linked him with GOP figures, though he remains on the Democratic bid for the upcoming presidential election.
Self-help author Marianne Williamson was the first Democrat to announce a presidential bid back in February 2023. The 70-year-old spiritual author remained the sole bid for nearly three months, before Biden and Kennedy joined her in April.
Williamson previously ran for president in 2020. Her current platform includes creating a U.S. Department of Peace, the federal government giving Black Americans financial reparations and advocating for reproductive rights.
Republican Candidates
Former President Donald Trump joined the ring on Nov. 15, 2022 after a highly-contested 2020 election, which ended in the capitol insurrection and a slurry of controversy.
Trump currently faces multiple legal threats, including criminal charges in New York, mere weeks after being found liable for sexual abuse in early May.
Though there's a hefty lineup of GOP candidates to choose from and ongoing legal battles, many of Iowa's conservatives haven't been swayed from supporting Trump.
“I believe, and I think many evangelical Christians understand, politics at that level is a blood sport. Donald Trump is fighting. That’s why he got things done,” the Rev. Terry Amann of suburban Des Moines told the Associated Press in April. “So, our role isn’t to judge him.”
As of April 15, Trump's 2024 campaign had raised nearly $34 million.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis launched his 2024 presidential campaign on May 24, 2023 via a Twitter chat that crashed repeatedly during the announcement.
Likely Trump's fiercest competitor for the Republican nomination, DeSantis has made a name for himself in Florida and nationwide by passing legislation affecting the LGBTQ+ community and reproductive rights, among other polarizing issues.
Iowa's own Gov. Kim Reynolds joined a pro-DeSantis super PAC in early May, only months after passing bills with similar language and intent.
He won his gubernatorial reelection by a whopping 19 percentage points back in February 2022, and hopes to lead a "Great American Comeback" if he were elected.
Former South Carolina governor and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley became the first Republican to challenge her former boss, Donald Trump, when she announced her run on Feb. 14, 2023.
51-year-old Haley directly criticized Trump's age in her announcement, declaring it's “time for a new generation of leadership.” Back in 2010, she was the nation's youngest governor at 38, as well as South Carolina's first female and minority governor.
Haley's identity as the daughter of Indian immigrants who experienced racism in the South shapes her policy, though she insists that America is not a racist country.
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott announced his presidential bid on May 19, 2023, just months after speaking of "a new American sunrise" in Iowa.
The deeply religious former insurance broker's campaign hinges on a positive attitude to distinguish him from other candidates.
Though the 57-year-old references his grandfather's work in southern cotton fields frequently, he rejects the idea that racism is an issue in modern society.
In South Carolina, his voting record reflects a strong anti-abortion stance. Alongside efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, he also aims to "protect the traditional definition of marriage."
Former Arkansas gov. Asa Hutchinson joined the Republican presidential nomination race on April 26, 2023, with a vow to protect states' rights and anti-abortion policies.
Hutchinson told Local 5 he'd reverse Biden's executive orders immediately if he were to become president.
"Whenever you look at the fact that he immediately reversed the prior administration's security policies at the border, that needs to be done away with," he said. "We need to start funding the operations there more aggressively."
You can watch a seven-minute interview with Hutchinson below, and the full transcript is available here.
At 37-years-old, "anti-woke" tech businessman Vivek Ramaswamy is the youngest GOP candidate in the running. He first announced his candidacy in February 2023.
Biotech entrepreneur and “Woke, Inc.,” author Ramaswamy sets himself apart in a crowded conservative candidate pool with a platform that takes aim at unique issues.
In early May, Ramaswamy told an Iowa crowd he wants to raise the voting age to 25 years old, unless younger Americans complete six months of military or first responder service or pass a citizenship test.
He tweeted about the idea during the Iowa event, sharing in part: “I understand not everyone will like this proposal and that it will take persuasion to convince many of its merits, but I’m ready to take that on.”
Perry Johnson
Previously a Michigan gubernatorial candidate, 75-year-old Republican businessman Perry Johnson launched his presidential campaign in March.
Johnson was disqualified from the 2022 Michigan primary for submitting invalid petition signatures and failing to reach to reach the required minimum to be on the ballot.
With no professional politics background, Johnson relies heavily on his conservative values and business experience to lay the foundation of his campaign.
Conservative talk show host Larry Elder, former Montana secretary of state Corey Stapleton are also in the race.
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