Bloomberg — The increasingly crowded field of Republican presidential contenders became more combative toward frontrunner Donald Trump with the addition of former Texas Representative Will Hurd.
A moderate from a swing district along the border with Mexico, Hurd launched his campaign by calling Trump a “lawless, selfish failed politician” who cost Republicans in 2020 and 2022 and would get President Joe Biden reelected in 2024.
Other long-shot candidates, including former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and — to an extent, former Vice President Mike Pence — have also taken more direct aim at Trump, while the top challenger, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, has intermittently sparred with Trump while shying away from overt fights.
Strategists see a larger field benefiting Trump, who can rack up delegates with a strong plurality of voters, while challengers with lower poll numbers struggle to get the publicity and donations to stay in the race.
Republicans who Have voiced a 2024 presidential bid
Donald Trump, former president
Announced: Nov. 15, 2022.
Trump is seeking to become the first former president since Grover Cleveland to be elected to a second, non-consecutive term in office. He faces potential legal problems that could complicate his campaign related to his attempts to overturn his 2020 loss in Georgia and mishandling of government records. He has already lost a $5 million sexual abuse and defamation case to former advice columnist E. Jean Carroll.
Ron DeSantis, Florida governor
Announced: May 24, 2023
Recently reelected to a second term, the Florida governor regularly made national news during the legislative session for signing laws banning abortions after six weeks, banning gender-affirming care for minors and stripping Walt Disney Co. of some authority over its Orlando theme park. He announced his run in a video posted on Twitter.
Nikki Haley, former U.N. Ambassador
Announced: Feb. 14, 2023
A former governor of South Carolina, Haley served as United Nations ambassador under Trump. She made an indirect attack on the 76-year-old as well as President Joe Biden, who is 80, by calling for mental competency tests for politicians over the age of 75. She has also attacked DeSantis for being an “echo” of Trump’s positions and mannerisms.
Tim Scott US Senator
Announced: May 22, 2023
Along with Haley, who first appointed him to the Senate, the South Carolina senator could make things interesting in an early primary state that helped propel Trump to the presidency. In late May, he announced his run in his hometown of North Charleston, citing his personal story as the child of a single mother.
Mike Pence, former vice president
Announced: June 7, 2023
Although he served as Trump’s right-hand man for four years, Pence had a falling out after an angry mob threatening to hang him stormed the US Capitol on Jan. 6. He is running on a traditional conservative message, hoping that outreach to evangelical voters in early states like Iowa will give him an edge.
Chris Christie, former New Jersey governor
Announced: June 6, 2023
Another former ally turned antagonist, Christie lost to Trump in the 2016 primary, then became one of the first mainstream Republicans to endorse him. But he’s already gone on the attack against Trump, calling him a “lonely, self-consumed, self-serving mirror hog.”
Doug Burgum, North Dakota governor
Announced: June 7, 2023
A lifelong North Dakota resident, Burgum got an MBA from Stanford and then launched a tech startup in his home state that he later sold to Microsoft for more than $1 billion. Now in his second term as governor, he has focused on issues like energy while signing legislation to ban gender-affirming health care and the teaching of critical race theory.
Asa Hutchinson, former Arkansas governor
Announced: April 2, 2023
A former governor of Arkansas, Hutchinson has also served as under secretary of Homeland Security, led the Drug Enforcement Administration and was a member of the House of Representatives. He is running on a platform of “consistent conservativism.”
Will Hurd, former Texas Representative
Announced: June 22, 2023
A former three-term US representative from a swing district along the border with Mexico, Hurd is a fierce Trump critic who previously served as a CIA officer and was seen as a rising star in the GOP before he chose not to run for reelection in 2020.
Francis Suárez, Miami mayor
Announced: June 14, 2023
The son of a former mayor and Miami-Dade county commissioner, Suárez has served as mayor of Miami since 2017. He is running as a new generation of Republican who could reach out to Hispanic voters with a more unifying message.
Vivek Ramaswamy, biotech executive
Announced: Feb. 21, 2023
A former biotechnology executive and hedge-fund partner, Ramaswamy is known for his opposition to ESG investing and other “woke” corporate actions, which he attacked in his book Woke, Inc. In his first run for president, he remains a long shot.
Larry Elder, radio host
Announced: April 20, 2023
A conservative radio host who ran unsuccessfully for California governor during a recall election in 2021, Elder announced his campaign on the now-canceled Fox News show hosted by Tucker Carlson. He is also a long-shot candidate.
Perry Johnson, Michigan businessman
Announced: March 2, 2023
The founder of Perry Johnson Registrars, which provides quality standards for businesses, Johnson tried to run for governor of Michigan in 2022, but was disqualified because the state elections bureau said he didn’t submit enough valid signatures.
Republicans who might challenge Trump
Glenn Youngkin, Virginia governor
The former Carlyle Group co-CEO had no prior political experience before he was elected governor of Virginia in 2021. He’s made several moves, from meeting with donors to agreeing to a CNN town hall, which indicate he’s seriously considering a run.
Democrats who have announced a presidential bid
Joe Biden, President
Announced: April 25, 2023
The current president, who previously served two terms as vice president and three decades in the Senate, is running for a second term, citing his record in office and issues like preserving abortion access and protecting Social Security. He has acknowledged concerns about his age — he would be 86 at the end of a second term — but argues he is fit to serve and needs a second term to achieve his goals.
Marianne Williamson, self-help author
Announced: Feb. 25, 2023
A best-selling self-help author who first ran for president in 2020, Williamson is running a long-shot campaign focused on issues like economic inequality and corporate power rather than the more spiritual angles she took in her previous run.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., anti-vaccine activist
Announced: April 19, 2023
The son of Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy, Kennedy is mostly known for promoting discredited theories about vaccines and promoting unproven treatments for the coronavirus.
Third-Party Candidates Who Have Announced 2024 Bids
Cornel West, progressive activist and professor
Announced: June 5, 2023
A former surrogate for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaigns, West first said he’s running under the left-wing populist People’s Party but is now seeking the nomination for the Green Party, with the help of 2016 Green candidate Jill Stein.
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