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2024 Presidential Candidates

Former President Donald Trump is the Republican presidential candidate, while Vice President Kamala Harris is the Democratic candidate. President Joe Biden withdrew from the race on July 21 and endorsed Harris, who swiftly gained the backing of the necessary pledged delegates to clinch the Democratic nomination. Here's a look at the current 2024 presidential candidates.

Kamala Harris

Age59
PartyDemocrat
BornOakland, California
Vice President Kamala Harris declared her candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination following President Biden’s withdrawal and endorsement on July 21. If successful, Harris would make history as the first Black woman and first Asian American to head the ticket of a major political party. Born to Indian and Jamaican immigrant parents, Harris was raised in Oakland and built much of her political career in California’s Bay Area. During her time as a US senator, Harris gained recognition for her sharp questioning style during hearings with officials and nominees from the Trump administration, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions and future Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Past experience
Harris is the sitting vice president and holds the distinction of being the highest-ranking female political official in US history. Prior to this, she served as a US senator, California's attorney general, and the district attorney of San Francisco.
Key policy issues
As her presidential campaign gains momentum, Harris has expressed her commitment to upholding several of Biden’s initiatives, including tax credits for middle- and lower-income families, reducing prescription drug costs, and cutting so-called junk fees. Overall, her platform features a strengthened set of progressive proposals, though her campaign has indicated that she has distanced herself from some of the more left-leaning positions she held during her 2020 run, such as advocating for a single-payer health care system and a fracking ban.
VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
Tim Walz
If he wins another term, Trump has pledged to revamp major parts of the federal government and cut social safety net programs. He has also promised retribution against his political adversaries and stated that he would appoint a special prosecutor to target Biden and his family.

Donald Trump

Age78
PartyRepublican
BornQueens, New York
Former President Donald Trump launched his bid to reclaim the White House in November 2022, aiming to become only the second commander in chief to win two nonconsecutive terms. Trump continues to deny the outcome of the 2020 election that he lost to Joe Biden and promotes baseless conspiracy theories about election fraud. He was twice impeached by the US House of Representatives, including for his role in inciting the deadly January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol following his electoral defeat. In May 2024, Trump was found guilty of all charges at his New York hush money criminal trial. He also faces charges in three other cases, including over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving office.
Past experience
Trump earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to his successful 2016 presidential campaign, he built a career as a real estate developer, businessman, and reality TV personality, gaining widespread recognition as the host of *The Apprentice*.
Key policy issues
If he wins another term, Trump has pledged to revamp major parts of the federal government and cut social safety net programs. He has also promised retribution against his political adversaries and stated that he would appoint a special prosecutor to target Biden and his family.
VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
JD Vance
JD Vance was elected to the US Senate from Ohio in 2022, gaining significant support from Donald Trump during a fiercely contested Republican primary. A venture capitalist and author of the best-selling memoir *Hillbilly Elegy*, Vance was initially a prominent figure in the “Never Trump” movement during the 2016 election. However, he later shifted to become a leading MAGA supporter, engaging with Trump at Mar-a-Lago and appearing frequently on Fox News.

Money Race

Third-party candidates

These are the candidates outside of the Republican Party and the Democratic Party who could be on the presidential ballot.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (suspended)

Age70
PartyIndependent
BornWashington, DC
The Kennedy family scion entered the race in April 2023, challenging President Joe Biden in the Democratic primary. By October, facing obstacles to surpass Biden, he shifted to an independent run. In August 2024, Kennedy suspended his campaign and endorsed former President Donald Trump. Despite this, he hinted that an Electoral College tie might still land him in the White House and said he planned to remain on the ballot in some states. Throughout his campaign, Kennedy picked Nicole Shanahan as his running mate and aimed to attract voters dissatisfied with both major parties. He often criticized Biden and Trump for increasing government spending, prolonging foreign conflicts, and supporting policies that favor large corporations. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Kennedy gained national attention for spreading misinformation about the coronavirus, vaccines, and public health measures.
Past experience
The Kennedy family scion entered the race in April 2023, challenging President Joe Biden in the Democratic primary. By October, facing obstacles to surpass Biden, he shifted to an independent run. In August 2024, Kennedy suspended his campaign and endorsed former President Donald Trump. Despite this, he hinted that an Electoral College tie might still land him in the White House and said he planned to remain on the ballot in some states. Throughout his campaign, Kennedy picked Nicole Shanahan as his running mate and aimed to attract voters dissatisfied with both major parties. He often criticized Biden and Trump for increasing government spending, prolonging foreign conflicts, and supporting policies that favor large corporations. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Kennedy gained national attention for spreading misinformation about the coronavirus, vaccines, and public health measures.
Key policy issues
Kennedy has promised to withdraw US support for Ukraine and to negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. He has pledged to address the “chronic disease epidemic,” implement a five-year lobbying ban on former government officials, and sign an executive order on his first day in office declaring that any government official who lies will be fired.
VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
Nicole Shanahan
Shanahan is a Silicon Valley attorney and entrepreneur, and the founder and president of the Bia-Echo Foundation. The foundation focuses on "reproductive longevity and equality, criminal justice reform, and a healthy and livable planet," according to its website. Shanahan, who is the former wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, is independently wealthy and has donated millions to her campaign with Kennedy.

Cornel West

Age71
PartyIndependent
BornTulsa, Oklahoma
When West announced his presidential bid in June 2023, he initially aimed to run on the People’s Party line but later switched to pursue the Green Party nomination. A few months later, he dropped out of the party process entirely to run as an independent. The progressive scholar and his running mate, professor and activist Melina Abdullah, have sought support from disillusioned Democrats who are critical of Biden’s backing of Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
Past experience
West has served as a professor at Union Theological Seminary at various times, most recently starting in 2021. He has also taught at Yale, Princeton, and Harvard.
Key policy issues
West has pledged to pressure Israel into agreeing to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and withdrawing from Palestinian territories. He also aims to cut off all US aid to Ukraine and push for the abolition of NATO. His platform includes enacting free health care for all US residents, halting all oil and gas leasing projects on federal lands, and committing to reparations for all Black US residents.
VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
Melina Abdullah
Abdullah is an academic and civic leader. She is a tenured professor at California State University, Los Angeles, where she previously chaired the department of Pan-African Studies. Additionally, she has served on the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission. Abdullah co-founded the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation chapter in Los Angeles and currently directs Black Lives Matter Grassroots.

Jill Stein

Age74
PartyGreen Party
BornChicago, Illinois
Stein initially managed Cornel West’s campaign during his brief period as a Green Party candidate. However, once West switched to an independent run, Stein moved to seek the Green Party nomination herself. Her campaign has predominantly focused on opposing President Joe Biden’s support for Israel’s military actions in Gaza. In April, she was arrested at a protest at Washington University in St. Louis, part of a nationwide boycott calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Past experience
Before her political career, Stein worked as a physician and environmental activist. She was the Green-Rainbow Party nominee for Massachusetts governor in 2002 and 2010, and the party’s nominee for Massachusetts secretary of the commonwealth in 2006. She was also the Green Party’s presidential candidate in 2012 and 2016.
Key policy issues
Stein has proposed an ambitious climate policy aiming for zero carbon emissions sooner than the progressive Democrats' “Green New Deal.” She has pledged to withdraw US support from Israel and Ukraine, and advocates for guaranteed free public education from pre-K through college. Additionally, Stein has promised to cancel all medical debt, double the number of Supreme Court justices, and impose 18-year term limits on them.
VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
To be determined
Stein has yet to announce a running mate.

Chase Oliver

Age39
PartyLibertarian Party
BornNashville, Tennessee
Oliver won the Libertarian nomination after seven rounds of voting at the party’s convention in May 2024. He successfully fended off attempts by a faction within the party that supported far-right positions on issues like immigration and transgender care. Having visited all 50 states before the convention, Oliver was vocal in his criticism of Donald Trump’s and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s efforts to attract Libertarian voters earlier in the year.
Past experience
Before entering politics, Oliver worked in the restaurant industry and later in the corporate maritime trade sector, according to an Indiana newspaper. He was also an activist against the Iraq War. Oliver was the Libertarian nominee for Georgia’s 5th Congressional District in 2020 and the party’s nominee for the US Senate in Georgia in 2022.
Key policy issues
Oliver advocates for a simplified pathway to citizenship for immigrants and expanded work visas. He has pledged to withdraw the US from all foreign conflicts, including cutting support for Ukraine and Israel. He supports eliminating the Federal Reserve, federally decriminalizing marijuana use, and pardoning all nonviolent drug offenders. Additionally, he aims to push Congress to decriminalize the possession and use of all drugs.
VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
Mike ter Maat
Ter Maat is a retired police officer and economist who worked in the George H.W. Bush administration. He initially sought the 2024 Libertarian presidential nomination but was eliminated during the party’s national convention. Subsequently, he joined Oliver on the ticket. In 2022, Ter Maat ran as the Libertarian nominee for a South Florida Congressional seat in a special election but did not win.

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