The 2024 U.S. presidential election season is well underway with almost a dozen major candidates vying for the nation’s highest office. The once crowded Republican continues to diminish, however, with North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum becoming the latest to suspend his campaign.
Burgum made his announcement Monday after a final appearance in front of voters in Amherst, New Hampshire, over the weekend. “In community after community along this journey, we witnessed the best that America has to offer. We are deeply grateful for each and every person who supported us with their ideas, prayers, advocacy, encouragement, and enthusiasm,” Burgum said.
The GOP field has steadily declined of late, with South Carolina Senator Tim Scott and former Vice President Mike Pence both exiting the field within the last six weeks.
Pence’s former boss Donald Trump remains the presumptive favorite among Republican candidates, even though he skipped three primary debates so far and has been in headlines for a civil fraud trial brought against him by New York Attorney General Letitia James. His list of challengers includes Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who tied for second place behind Trump in a late October poll of Iowa voters.
On the Democratic side, Minnesota Representative Dean Phillips recently announced an unexpected challenge to current President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination. Marianne Williamson is also running.
Here’s a brief primer on all the major 2024 presidential candidates. Below we note which Republican candidates attended the most recent GOP primary debate in November. Participants in the upcoming Republican debate on December 6 at University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa have yet to be announced. We will continue to update this article as the election draws closer.
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- Republican Presidential Candidates
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Republican Presidential Candidates
Chris Christie
November 8 Republican Debate Participant
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Chris Christie, 61, was elected governor of New Jersey in 2009 and served through mid-January 2018. He previously ran for president during the 2016 campaign cycle but bowed out of the race and gave his support to Donald Trump. They have since had a falling out, with Christie calling Trump “a child” for refusing to accept his loss in the 2020 election.
The former prosecutor is an alum of the University of Delaware and the Seton Hall University School of Law. As governor, Christie, was part of the “Bridgegate” scandal, in which two of his aides were convicted of charges including conspiracy and fraud for participating in a scheme to intentionally cause traffic problems on the George Washington Bridge as political retribution in 2013.
Christie supports abortion restrictions but has a more moderate stance compared to many of his competitors, telling The Washington Post that such decisions should be made by “governors, state legislatures, and their citizens at the stave level.”
Ron DeSantis
November 8 Republican Debate Participant
Getty Images
DeSantis garnered national attention for his hands-off approach to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent dismissal of restrictions like school closures and mask mandates, and he has taken an extremely conservative stance on a number of issues. According to NBC News, he has signed bills banning gender-affirming care for minors, combatting undocumented immigration, banning abortions at six weeks, and prohibiting higher education institutions from spending tax dollars on diversity programs. He has also sparred with Disney, one of his state’s largest employers, over LGBTQ rights.
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