Former US President Donald Trump wants to run again in the 2024 presidential election. He claims the Republican nomination for himself. However, he must be prepared for other contenders to throw their hats in the ring. Other potential applicants will follow for the candidate ticket, which is expected to be awarded in the summer of 2024, just a few months before the election.
Ron DeSantis
The 44-year-old is one of the clear winners of the midterms, in which a week ago numerous offices at the state level were re-determined in addition to the congress. DeSantis was re-elected as Florida governor by almost 20 percentage points. He is currently considered Trump's most promising opponent. Similar to Trump, he represents ultra-right positions, but is not as surrounded by scandals. His opposition to corona measures and his broadsides against the left camp, LGBTQ rights and immigrants have earned him respect from conservatives beyond Florida's borders. Many consider him to be significantly more capable of winning a majority than Trump.
Mike Pence
The 63-year-old was Vice President under Trump. He was considered the stalwart number two until he fell out of favor with his boss in the final weeks of Trump's presidency. Pence resisted pressure from Trump and his supporters when they stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021 to prevent official confirmation of Joe Biden's election victory. Instead, Pence complied with the law and certified the election result, which Trump has refused to recognize to this day. Especially among more moderate Republicans, the reputation of the former governor of Indiana increased.
Greg Abbott
The Texas governor entered the midterms with Trump's support. He secured his third term against Beto O'Rourke, who is among the field of Democratic hopefuls. Abbott moved progressively to the right over the course of his second term. The 65-year-old signed one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the United States, campaigned against corona vaccinations and the requirement to wear masks, and had the fortifications along the border with Mexico expanded. Abbott is persistently circling candidacy rumors. However, he has not commented on this for a long time.
Liz Cheney
Within the Republican Party, the daughter of ex-Vice President Dick Cheney is one of Trump's most prominent and staunch opponents. As a member of the House of Representatives, she played a leading role in dealing with the storming of the Capitol. She has pledged to do everything in her power to prevent Trump from returning to the White House.
The 56-year-old will not be a member of the new Congress because her party did not nominate her again in the midterm elections. She lost her nomination for the Wyoming state legislature to a Trump-backed party challenger. Cheney had declared that he would not support Trump's lie about the stolen election victory in 2020. Despite or precisely because of this setback, she is being treated as a potential candidate for the presidential candidacy. She plans to announce her decision soon.
Nikki Haley
The 50-year-old was Trump's ambassador to the United Nations for some time. The former governor of South Carolina is considered a rising star in the Republican Party. She has taken different positions on Trump. Sometimes she sought his closeness, then she kept her distance again. She publicly criticized Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign, as well as after his supporters stormed the Capitol. She later called him a friend who still had a role to play in the party. In June, Haley flirted with the idea of running for 2024 "if there's room for me." In October, she said she would revisit the idea early next year.
