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Americans will head to the polls in November 2024 to elect the next president. The person sitting in the White House’s Oval Office has a big influence on people’s lives both at home and abroad, making the election outcome crucial for everyone. The 2024 election will be held on Tuesday, 5th November 2024 and it is marked by familiar dynamics. Two unpopular candidates seem set to face each other yet again. President Biden is positioned to secure the Democratic nomination, while the Republican landscape has narrowed, with a strong preference among voters for former president Donald Trump. Against a backdrop of economic concerns, abortion debates, ongoing conflicts, and questions about the state of American democracy, the 2024 election is believed to be a consequential event.
Who is running for president in 2024?
The Republicans – Donald Trump
The leading candidate for the Republican party nomination is Donald Trump, the former president, despite grappling with various legal challenges, such as federal charges related to obstructing justice and violating the Espionage Act. Recently, he expressed his commitment to a tough immigration stance if re-elected for a second term. Additionally, Trump has resumed criticizing transgender individuals, particularly athletes, and remains steadfast in his anti-China agenda.
The Democrats – Joe Biden
The probable Democratic nominee for the 2024 presidential election is Joe Biden, who officially launched his re-election campaign on April 25, 2023, precisely four years after his previous successful bid for the presidency. Despite his approval ratings remaining slightly above 40%, political analysts assert that Biden is the most plausible candidate to challenge and potentially defeat Donald Trump. With a political career spanning over five decades, Biden is advocating for key issues such as abortion rights, gun reform, and healthcare.
The Democrats – Marianne Williamson
Marianne Williamson, the unsuccessful 2020 presidential candidate who also ran without success for a US House of Representatives seat in 2014, has declared her candidacy for the presidency. Best known as an author of self-help books, Williamson has initiated her campaign with promises to tackle issues like climate change and student loan debt. Before being politically active, she served as the “spiritual leader” of a Michigan Unity church.
Third Party – Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., recognized for his role as an environmental lawyer and controversial anti-vaccine perspectives, has announced his candidacy for the presidency with the goal of addressing what he refers to as the “chronic disease epidemic”. Notably, he is the nephew of John F. Kennedy, the late Democratic president who was assassinated in office, and the son of Robert F. Kennedy, the 1968 Democratic presidential candidate who was also assassinated during the campaign.
Third Party – Cornel West
Cornel West, a progressive activist, has officially declared his candidacy for the presidency through a video posted on Twitter. He is running as a member of the People’s Party, a third party led by a former campaign staffer for Bernie Sanders. West is currently a professor of philosophy at Union Theological Seminary and has previously worked at Harvard.
Third Party – Jill Stein
Jill Stein, a physician who previously ran for president on the Green Party ticket in both 2012 and 2016, is now competing for the party’s nomination for the third time. In her campaign announcement video, she advocates for an “economic bill of rights” that includes guaranteed access to employment, healthcare, housing, food, and education. Additionally, Stein emphasizes her commitment to fighting climate change and protecting reproductive rights and transgender rights.
What are the biggest issues?
Abortion is a controversial topic in the U.S. It has become a favorable issue for Democrats since the Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade which returned the authority over abortion legality to individual states. In contrast, Trump has not explicitly formulated a definitive stance on abortion.
American democracy is another important topic for this election. Biden has characterized this election as a defining moment for American democracy. He is arguing that Trump, who propagated baseless allegations of election fraud and downplayed the significance of the January 6 attack on the Capitol, poses a potential threat to the nation’s future if he were to return to the White House. In response, Trump has dismissed Biden’s claims, accusing him of “fear-mongering”.
Economy is still something many Americans worry about. Even though people feel better about the economy improving after Covid, most of them don’t think Biden deserves credit for it. Many are still worried about inflation and high prices and that’s making them uneasy about the overall situation.
Immigration is another issue. Biden is using some of the immigration policies from Trump’s time to discourage migrants, but he’s also working on making legal ways for them to enter. In contrast, Trump is promising the biggest-ever deportation of undocumented migrants, pledging to deny citizenship to many born in the U.S., and using strong language, like calling those here illegally a threat to the country.
Foreign policy is also a hot topic among Americans. The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas and the war in Ukraine, compete for the voters attention. Both Biden and Trump express support for Israel. Regarding Ukraine, Trump has not committed to continuing Biden’s efforts to counter Russia.
Climate, even if it may be hard to believe, is an issue that many Americans care about. According to a CNN poll, 70% of Americans and 50% of Republicans want meaningful action. However, Trump does not believe that human activity contributes to climate change nor that climate change is creating worse extreme weather. Even if Biden’s work against climate change has been criticized by many activists, he is firmly against Trump’s view on the matter.
Who will be the next US President?
As of now, it looks like former president Donald Trump and current president Joe Biden are the two most favorable candidates to win the election 2024. They are almost neck-and-neck and it is hard to predict who will get the most votes. The situation is quite balanced if you look at the latest national polls from FiveThirtyEight. Trump has secured the victory in four out of the last five polls. Although the polls show new numbers each day, it seems that Trump winning has been a trend for the past month. If Biden and Trump were to face off again in 2024, based on the average of recent polls, the winner would be Donald Trump. However, it is likely that one of the two candidates, and perhaps both, will withdraw from the 2024 election in favor of a younger candidate. Biden is currently the oldest president of the U.S., at 81 years old. But Trump is not much younger, at 77 years old. Trump is also grappling with lawsuits that could create problems for him in a possible upcoming presidential election. Nonetheless, the election is eight months away and a lot can happen during this time.
