Who is running for president in 2024?

2024 will be here before we know it, and a crowded presidential field is already taking shape. Here is a list of candidates on both sides of the aisle, though expect to see more names drop off as the race progresses:

Joe Biden (D)

President Joe Biden formally announced his re-election campaign on April 25, exactly four years to the day after he first declared his candidacy in 2019. "Freedom. Personal freedom is fundamental to who we are as Americans. There's nothing more important. Nothing more sacred," the president said at the start of a three-minute launch video. "Around the country, MAGA extremists are lining up to take down those bedrock freedoms." This is "not a time to be complacent," he continued, "and that's why I'm running for re-election." Should the president succeed in reclaiming the White House, he will be 86 at the end of his second term.

Donald Trump (R)

Months before his legal fortunes took a turn for the worse, former President Donald Trump stood before an adoring crowd at his Mar-a-Lago estate and made his third consecutive run for president official. "For millions of Americans, the past two years under Joe Biden have been a time of pain, hardship, anxiety, and despair," he told the room full of Republican aides and heavyweights. "In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States." Now, even with the 91 federal indictments against him, the former president has managed to maintain a comfortable lead over all of his opponents, despite the fact that he has not participated in any of the three Republican debates so far.

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Ryan Binkley (R)

A pastor and entrepreneur from Texas, Ryan Binkley threw his proverbial hat into the 2024 ring back in April. "I believe in God, I believe in America, I believe in liberty and I believe in you. And I'm asking you today to believe in me," Binkley told supporters at the time, per The Hill. This run for president marks the CEO's first-ever foray into politics, and he's focusing on matters of immigration, national unity, and pro-life policies, among other priorities, according to his website. The company he runs focuses on “business consultancy, M&A and wealth advisory,” his website added. 

Doug Burgum (R)

Like Binkley, Doug Burgum, the billionaire governor of North Dakota, knows he isn't the most well-known candidate of the GOP bunch — but that's not going to stop him from trying. "If you want more small-town common sense in Washington and our big cities, we'll make that happen," he told supporters at a rally in Fargo, per The New York Times. As the leader of North Dakota, Burgum has signed into law a near-total abortion ban and implemented restrictions on gender-affirming care, but is reportedly planning to focus less on social issues and more on economic and energy policy in his run for president. While his presidential ambitions are likely slim, Burgum does have experience winning elections, claiming the governorship in 2016 and being re-elected in 2020 in landslide victories. 

Chris Christie (R)

After a few years on the political sidelines, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie has returned to spearhead yet another 2024 presidential run, this time positioning himself as Trump's "main antagonist," wrote CBS News. "Let me be clear, in case I have not been already," Christie told supporters at a town hall-style event. "The person I am talking about — who is obsessed with the mirror, … who always finds someone else and something else to blame for whatever goes wrong, but finds every reason to take credit for anything that goes right — is Donald Trump." Christie was infamously mired in a few scandals of his own while in office, though, and like most of the other GOP candidates, has seen consistently low national polling averages.

Ron DeSantis (R)

After weeks of rabid speculation, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis entered the 2024 presidential race on May 24, announcing his bid in conversation with X owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. In the early days of his presumed candidacy, DeSantis was hailed as a potential Trump slayer who could appeal to electorally-vital swaths of anti-MAGA independent and GOP voters. But that was months ago. Though he remains Trump's rival in chief, his campaign has been bogged down by low enthusiasm and viral moments that have shown off his awkward tendencies toward the public. His campaign has been described as "almost uniformly negative" by The Washington Post.

Nikki Haley (R)

Former South Carolina governor and ex-Trump administration official Nikki Haley tossed her hat into the ring on Feb. 14, after claiming she wouldn't run in the upcoming election cycle should Trump decide to do the same. "Republicans have lost the popular vote in seven out of the last eight presidential elections. That has to change," Haley said in a roughly three-minute launch video, during which she highlighted her work as governor while echoing a familiar (and potentially loaded) refrain: "It's time for a new generation of leadership." While she started out with low poll numbers, she is catching up to both DeSantis and Trump in national averages. Some view her as the likely best candidate to beat Trump, and a recent op-ed in The Boston Globe described Haley as someone who could “rebuild the respect for Republican principles.” 

Asa Hutchinson (R)

Asa Hutchinson, the former Republican governor of Arkansas, is hoping to win over a more moderate swath of anti-Trump GOP voters, and has even urged the former president to drop out of the race over his "disqualifying" federal indictment, per an interview with ABC's "This Week." As a candidate, the former governor has "robust conservative credentials," noted FiveThirtyEight, but has "occasionally departed from party orthodoxy," added The Week's Joel Mathis, citing Hutchinson's veto of legislation that would block transgender children from receiving gender-affirming care as one example of his political ethos.

Vivek Ramaswamy (R)

An entrepreneur and the author of "Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America's Social Justice Scam", Vivek Ramaswamy has dedicated much of his brain power over the years to debunking "wokeness," a concept he believes is corrupting traditional American values and weakening our society. "We've celebrated our 'diversity' so much that we forgot all the ways we're really the same as Americans, bound by ideals that united a divided, headstrong group of people 250 years ago," Ramaswamy tweeted alongside his launch video on Feb. 21. "I believe deep in my bones those ideals still exist. I'm running for president to revive them." His sparring with other GOP candidates during the debates, particularly Nikki Haley, has drawn significant media attention. 

Marianne Williamson (D)

Love or hate her, Marianne Williamson is back. Following an unsuccessful White House attempt in 2020, which saw her drop out of the race almost a full year before Election Day, the self-help author launched a challenge against Biden roughly a month before the president had even made clear his own plans. "We all owe President Biden a debt of gratitude for defeating President Trump in 2020, but with the things that they're going to be throwing at us in 2024, we need to submit to the American people an agenda of fundamental economic reform, universal health care, ... and a guaranteed living wage," among other initiatives, Williamson said in a March 4 announcement video. Like several other candidates, Williamson's chances of winning the nomination are believed to be low.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (I)

An environmental lawyer as well as the son of late U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy — yes, that one — RFK Jr. is perhaps best known for his support of anti-vaccine rhetoric, beliefs that have been vehemently denounced by his own family.  After initially launching his White House bid in conjunction with the Democratic Party, Kennedy in October switched to independent, which could complicate things for both Biden and Trump alike. The aforementioned condemnation by his own family has made him an outlier among the Democratic tentpoles. RFK Jr.'s nephew, Jack Schlossberg, said his uncle was "trading in on Camelot, celebrity conspiracy theories and conflict for personal gain," calling his candidacy "an embarrassment."

Cornel West (I)

Philosopher, scholar and activist Cornel West could play spoiler to Biden's reelection bid now that he's announced a run for president alongside the People’s Party, then the Green Party, and now as an independent. “People are hungry for change,” West wrote on X when announcing his switch to run as an independent. "They want good policies over partisan politics. We need to break the grip of the duopoly and give power to the people." Like RFK Jr., though, his run as an independent means West is unlikely to travel very far in his presidential aspirations. 

Chase Oliver (L)

Chase Oliver, a libertarian, announced his candidacy back in April, per Ballotpedia. Speaking at the Iowa State Fair, the 2022 U.S. Senate candidate out of Georgia described himself as "armed and gay," and urged a "cultural war ceasefire," per the Des Moines Register. "I don't care how you live, who you love, how you worship, how you express yourself, if you do it in peace, that's your business, not the government's," he said. Oliver is also pro-choice, supports the legalization of marijuana, and wants to see an increased focus on combating addiction and drug use in the U.S.

Dropped out

Will Hurd (R), former congressman from Texas: dropped out of the race in October 2023 and endorsed Nikki Haley. 

Francis Suarez (R), mayor of Miami, Florida: dropped out of the race in August 2023 after promising to do so after failing to secure a spot in the first GOP debate.

Larry Elder (R), conservative political commentator and radio host: dropped out of the race in October 2023 and endorsed Donald Trump.

Perry Johnson (R), businessman and former gubernatorial candidate: dropped out of the race in October 2023 and endorsed Donald Trump.

Mike Pence (R), former vice president: dropped out of the race in October 2023, saying it was "not my time."

Tim Scott (R), South Carolina senator: dropped out of the race in November 2023 during a surprise announcement on Fox News.

Corey Stapleton (R), former Montana secretary of state: dropped out of the race in October 2023.

Updated Nov. 21, 2023: This article has been updated throughout.