With two years to go until the presidential election, focus is quickly shifting to who plans to run in 2024.
WASHINGTON — As campaigns for the midterm elections come to an end and the votes are tallied up, the countdown to 2024 begins. With both President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump both mulling reelection runs, the field of candidates is still uncertain and could change drastically over the next two years.
No serious candidates have officially launched a campaign yet, but some have hinted they plan to make the decision soon.
Here’s what to know about possible candidates in 2024.
Donald Trump
Although he has made no official announcement, Trump has been heavily teasing a return to the presidential campaign trail.
Aides to the former president are reportedly making quiet preparations for a 2024 presidential campaign that could be launched soon after the midterm elections as Trump tries to capitalize on expected Republican wins to propel himself toward the front of the GOP pack.
Trump faces big challenges if he wants to make a serious attempt at a return to the White House. He has spent the last two years spreading lies about the legitimacy of the 2020 election and remains a deeply polarizing figure.
While the former president remains overwhelmingly popular among Republicans, an October AP-NORC poll found 43% said they don’t want to see him run for president in 2024.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is currently running for reelection for governor, is widely seen as the most formidable potential Republican challenger to Trump. But it’s not clear whether he will run if the former president decides to launch his campaign first.
At a recent gubernatorial debate in Florida, he dodged the question when asked whether he planned to run for president in 2024.
Other Republicans
Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, who lost her Republican primary this summer, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem have all been floated as potential 2024 GOP candidates.
Haley said she intends to decide by January whether she will run.
Noem, who is running for reelection for governor of South Dakota, said her “plans are to stay here for four years.”
President Joe Biden
It remains unclear whether President Joe Biden will run for reelection in 2024. In an interview with MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart at Delaware State University, Biden said it was his “intention” to run in 2024.
“The reason I’m not making a judgment about formally running or not running, once I make that judgment, a whole series of regulations kick in and I have to be – I treat myself as a candidate from that moment on. I have not made that formal decision, but it’s my intention – my intention to run again.”
No other major Democrat is likely to run against the president in the primary, if he chooses to run for reelection.
But Biden faces an uphill battle convincing voters he is fit for a second term. A July poll found only 20% of New Hampshire residents want to see Biden run again. There have been calls from within his own party to step aside in the next election, including Ohio Sen. Tim Ryan.
“No, I’ve been very clear. I’d like to see a generational change,” Ryan said at a debate when asked if he’d like to see the president run for reelection.
At 79 years old, Biden will be nearly 82 on Election Day 2024. He is already the oldest sitting U.S. president in history.
Lyndon B. Johnson was the last sitting president not to run for reelection, in 1968.
If Trump were to run, he’d be 76 on Election Day 2024.
Other Democrats
Should Biden choose to serve only one term, political analysts predict Vice President Kamala Harris would likely be at the top of the list of possible Democratic candidates. Vice presidents who seek the presidential nomination typically succeed.
Other potential Democratic candidates include Sec. of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.