The 2024 Presidential Race: A Cheat Sheet


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The 2024 presidential election was already like none in dwelling reminiscence: a matchup between the sitting president and a former president.

Then it acquired much more traditionally uncommon. After months of the nation anticipating, and dreading, a rematch of the 2020 election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, Biden dropped out of the race on July 21, simply weeks earlier than his formal nomination and barely three months earlier than the final election. Not since 1968 has an eligible incumbent dropped out of the race and been changed on the ticket.

In his stead, Vice President Kamala Harris introduced her candidacy (along with his endorsement) and quickly consolidated Democratic Social gathering help. Her entry has shortly reset the race and put her within the lead—although, in an indication of how calcified American politics are, it has not drastically shifted the basics.

The setting of a Trump-Harris contest (presumably) caps a wild election season. Issues about Biden’s age circulated for years, however he nonetheless didn’t draw a significant challenger from throughout the occasion, and simply gained the first. On the Republican facet, Trump ran as a de facto incumbent. Nonetheless, greater than a dozen candidates introduced campaigns towards Trump, although the previous president’s lead appeared prohibitive. He turned the presumptive nominee when Nikki Haley dropped out on March 6.

The Democratic-candidate swap has additionally taken the wind out of third-party candidates, particularly Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In an exceedingly odd near an already odd marketing campaign, Kennedy has now dropped out, forging an alliance with Trump within the hopes of serving to him and hurting Democrats. The leftist Cornel West can also be ostensibly working. However No Labels, which had the potential to attract the most important help, stated on April 4 that it will not subject a candidate.

This information to the candidates—who’s in, who’s out, and who’s someplace in between—is a information to who ran and who didn’t. It’s unlikely to be up to date once more, however who is aware of?


DEMOCRATS


kamala harris
(Chip Somodevilla / Getty)

Kamala Harris

Who’s she?
Harris is the vp of the US.

Is she working?
Sure. When Biden dropped out of the race, he threw his help to Harris, and she or he shortly launched a marketing campaign.

Why does she wish to run?
Harris is the inheritor obvious to the Biden administration, for higher or worse. She has framed her nascent marketing campaign round “freedom” and stopping Trump, a key objective for Democrats.

Who desires her to run?
Though Harris has beforehand had critics throughout the occasion, Democrats shortly coalesced round her. A late-July ballot discovered that 79 % of Democratic voters are glad together with her candidacy.

Can she win the nomination?
She has.


Joe Biden
(Joshua Roberts / Getty)

Joe Biden

Who’s he?
After many years of making an attempt, Biden is the president of the US.

Is he working?
Sure. Biden formally introduced his run on April 25, 2023. Welp, by no means thoughts about that! Biden dropped out of the race on July 21, confronted with cratering help and confidence amongst Democrats.

Why did he wish to run?
Biden had framed his marketing campaign round two concepts: First, that he wished to “end the job” of his time period, and second, that he wished to defend American democracy from the specter of Donald Trump. Biden believed that his report as president justified a second time period.

Who wished him to run?
That was the issue. Even amongst Democrats who discovered Biden to have been an important president, help collapsed after his disastrous debate efficiency on June 27.

Might he have gained the nomination?
In actual fact, Biden had gained it throughout primaries—one of many justifications he used for staying within the race up to date he left.

What else do we all know?
Not since 1844 has a sitting president dropped out of the race so late.


Cenk Uygur
(Joshua Roberts / Getty)

Cenk Uygur

Who’s he?
A pundit from the occasion’s left flank, Uygur might be greatest know for his The Younger Turks community. He was briefly an MSNBC persona and in addition ran for Congress in California in 2020.

Is he working?
No. He dropped out of the race on March 6, insofar as he was ever in it.

Why did he wish to run?
Uygur believed that Biden would lose the 2024 election and thus wished to drive him to withdraw. “I’m going to do no matter I can to assist him resolve that this isn’t the suitable path,” he informed Semafor’s Dave Weigel in October 2023. “If he retires now, he’s a hero: He beat Trump, he did a superb job of being a steward of the financial system. If he doesn’t, he loses to Trump, and he’s the villain of the story.”

Who wished him to run?
Principally nobody. Uygur has a large viewers—his YouTube channel has tens of millions of subscribers—however that didn’t imply he has any actual presidential constituency.

Might he have gained the nomination?
No, and he had a deeper downside: He’s ineligible to serve, as a result of he was born in Turkey. This isn’t an fascinating nuance of the regulation, as with misguided questions on Ted Cruz’s or John McCain’s eligibility, or disinformation, as with Barack Obama’s. Uygur is simply not a natural-born citizen. He claimed he’d take the matter to the Supreme Court docket and win in a “slam dunk.” Reader, he didn’t.


Dean Phillips
(Invoice Clark / Getty)

Dean Phillips

Who’s he?
Phillips, a mildly unorthodox and fascinating determine, is a Minnesota average serving his third time period within the Home.

Is he working?
No. Phillips dropped out of the race after Tremendous Tuesday. He launched his marketing campaign in October 27 after a Hamlet act to make Mario Cuomo proud—in July, he stated he was contemplating it; in August, he stated he was unlikely to run however would encourage different Democrats to take action; then, after discovering no different Democrats prepared to run, he stated he was not ruling it out.

Why did he wish to run?
In an in-depth profile by my colleague Tim Alberta, Phillips stated he was most involved about beating Trump. “Look, simply because [Biden’s] outdated, that’s not a disqualifier,” Phillips stated. “However being outdated, in decline, and having numbers which can be clearly shifting within the mistaken route? It’s attending to red-alert sort of stuff.” He added: “Somebody had to do that. It simply was so self-evident.”

Who wished him to run?
Phillips informed Alberta that even some Biden allies privately inspired him to run—however nobody would say it overtly. Phillips proved prophetic, however that didn’t imply atypical Democrats have been keen on him. Over the course of his marketing campaign, Phillips drew help from to rich Silicon Valley figures and anti-DEI billionaire Invoice Ackman.

Might he have gained the nomination?
No.

What else do we all know?
His grandmother was “Pricey Abby,” and he made a fortune working the Talenti gelato firm.


Pete Buttigieg
(Matthew Cavanaugh / Getty)

Pete Buttigieg

Who’s he?
Mayor Pete is Secretary Pete now, overseeing the Division of Transportation.

Is he working?
No.

Why would he wish to run?
Simply as he was 4 years in the past, Buttigieg is a younger, formidable politician with a average, technocratic imaginative and prescient of presidency.

Who desires him to run?
Buttigieg’s followers are passionate, and Biden confirmed that moderates stay a drive within the occasion.

Might he have gained the nomination?
Not at this second.


Bernie Sanders
(Scott Olson / Getty)

Bernie Sanders

Who’s he?
The senator from Vermont is changeless, ageless, ever the identical.

Is he working?
No.

Why would he wish to run?
Sanders nonetheless desires to tax billionaires, degree the financial enjoying subject, and push a left-wing platform.

Who wished him to run?
Sanders continues to have the sturdy help of a giant portion of the Democratic voters, particularly youthful voters.

Might he have gained the nomination?
Two consecutive tries have proven that he’s formidable, however can’t shut. Possibly the third time’s the appeal?


Gretchen Whitmer
(Chip Somodevilla / Getty)

Gretchen Whitmer

Who’s she?
Whitmer cruised to a second time period as governor of Michigan in 2022.

Is she working?
No.

Why would she wish to run?
It’s just a little early to know, however her reelection marketing campaign targeted on abortion rights.

Who wished her to run?
Whitmer would verify quite a lot of bins for Democrats. She’s a contemporary face, she’s a girl, and she or he’s proved she will be able to win within the higher Midwest towards a MAGA candidate.

Might she have gained the nomination?
Not if she wasn’t working.


Marianne Williamson
(Lucas Jackson / Reuters)

Marianne Williamson

Who’s she?
For those who don’t know Williamson from her common writing on spirituality, you then certainly keep in mind her considerably woo-woo Democratic bid in 2020.

Is she working?
Who even is aware of anymore?  Williamson dropped out of the race on February 7, following a distant second-place end within the South Carolina major. However then on February 28, she introduced she was “unsuspending” her marketing campaign.

Why does she wish to run (once more)?
“I had suspended it as a result of I used to be shedding the horse race, however one thing a lot extra vital than the horse race is at stake right here. And we should reply,” she stated in her relaunch video. “We’re watching a automotive crash in gradual movement right here.”

Who desires her to run?
Williamson has her followers, however she doesn’t have a transparent political constituency.

Can she win the nomination?
Nah. Williamson has by no means actually been a contender, and her impression has been muffled by messy workers points.


J.B. Pritzker
(Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune / Getty)

J. B. Pritzker

Who’s he?
The governor of Illinois is each a scion of a rich household and a “nomadic warrior.”

Is he working?
No.

Why would he wish to run?
After years of unfulfilled curiosity in elected workplace, Pritzker has established himself as a muscular proponent of progressivism in a Democratic stronghold.

Who wished him to run?
Improbably for a billionaire, Pritzker has grow to be a darling of the Sanders-style left, in addition to a memelord.

Might he have gained the nomination?
Not now.


REPUBLICANS


donald trump
(Joe Raedle / Getty)

Donald Trump

Who’s he?
You recognize him and you’re keen on him. Or hate him. Most likely not a lot in between.

Is he working?
Sure. Trump introduced his bid to return to the White Home at Mar-a-Lago in November 2022.

Why does he wish to run?
Revenge, boredom, rivalry, worry of prosecution, long-standing psychological hang-ups.

Who desires him to run?
An enormous tranche of the GOP was at all times absolutely behind Trump, and as his rivals have failed to achieve a lot traction, he’s consolidated lots of the relaxation and constructed an all-but-prohibitive lead.

Can he win the nomination?
He has.

What else do we all know?
Greater than we may presumably wish to.


ron desantis
(Joe Raedle / Getty)

Ron DeSantis

Who’s he?
The second-term governor of Florida, DeSantis was beforehand a U.S. consultant.

Is he working?
No. He dropped out on January 21, two days earlier than the New Hampshire major.

Why did he wish to run?
DeSantis tried to synthesize Trump-style tradition warring and the conservative politics of the early-2010s Republican Social gathering, suggesting he’d be like Trump, solely extra so and extra successfully.

Who wished him to run?
In the long run, not many individuals. Although he was as soon as considered the favourite, he by no means discovered learn how to peel off Trump voters who favored the unique effective, and donors bored with his costly, directionless marketing campaign.

Might he have gained the nomination?
Possibly a extra competent marketing campaign would have fared higher—it’s already been labeled the worst ever by some journalists and operatives—however DeSantis additionally revealed himself to be a careless and unappealing candidate, which is tough to beat.


nikki haley
(Roy Rochlin / Getty)

Nikki Haley

Who’s she?
Haley, the daughter of immigrants, was the governor of South Carolina after which the ambassador to the United Nations beneath Trump.

Is she working?
No. Haley dropped out on March 6, the day after she gained just one Tremendous Tuesday contest.

Why did she wish to run?
Haley stated it was “time for a brand new era.” After initially declining to overtly assault Trump, she later criticized him for “tantrums” and creating “chaos.” She was additionally the highest foreign-policy hawk within the subject.

Who wished her to run?
After DeSantis collapsed, Haley turned the most well-liked various to Trump, however she by no means had the help to supplant him.

Might she have gained the nomination?
She proved extra viable than anybody however Trump—however nonetheless, no.


Vivek Ramaswamy
(Dylan Hollingsworth / Bloomberg / Getty)

Vivek Ramaswamy

Who’s he?
A 38-year-old biotech millionaire with a glowing résumé (Harvard, then Yale Regulation, the place he turned mates with Senator J. D. Vance), Ramaswamy has just lately grow to be distinguished as a crusader towards “wokeism” and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing.

Is he working?
No. He dropped out after a distant end within the Iowa caucuses.

Why did he wish to run?
Ramaswamy ran as an anti-woke candidate, however because the marketing campaign developed, he gave the impression to be someplace between a stalking horse for Trump and a person auditioning for roles in a second Trump administration.

Who wished him to run?
The paradigmatic Ramaswamy voter appeared to like Trump’s vibe however be prepared for a brand new model. He had a summer time surge when he was contemporary, nevertheless it subsided as individuals have gotten to know and—like his Republican rivals—dislike him.

Might he have gained the nomination?
No. Ramaswamy broke out of the ranks of oddballs to briefly grow to be a mildly formidable contender, however the extra voters noticed him, the much less they favored his slick shtick and questionable pronouncements.


asa hutchinson
(Alex Wong / Getty)

Asa Hutchinson

Who’s he?
Hutchinson, a former longtime member of Congress, simply completed a stint as governor of Arkansas.

Is he working?
No. He caught round even after lacking debates, however he lastly dropped out on January 16.

Why does he wish to run?
Hutchinson—as soon as thought-about a right-wing Republican—discovered himself nearer to the occasion’s middle within the Trump period. Like Chris Christie, he made opposition to Trump central to his marketing campaign, however with a milder tone. That didn’t work any higher than Christie’s bombastic anti-Trumpism.

Who wished him to run?
Outdated-school, very conservative Republicans who additionally detest Trump.

Might he have gained the nomination?
No.


tim scott
(David Becker / The Washington Publish / Getty)

Tim Scott

Who’s he?
A South Carolinian, Scott is the one Black Republican senator.

Is he working?
No. He stated on November 12 that he was suspending his marketing campaign.

Why did he wish to run?
This was by no means completely clear. Scott supplied a considerably sunny private story but in addition some hard-line concepts.

Who desires him to run?
Scott’s Senate colleagues adore him, and voters’ views of him have been favorable, however he by no means translated that into actual help.

Can he win the nomination?
No. He may by no means discover a method out of the second tier of candidates.


mike pence
(Megan Varner / Getty)

Mike Pence

Who’s he?
The previous vp, he additionally served because the governor of Indiana and a U.S. consultant.

Is he working?
No! He shocked a Las Vegas viewers by dropping out on October 28. He’d been working since June 7.

Why did he wish to run?
Pence has lengthy harbored White Home goals, and he has a powerful conservative-Christian political agenda. Because the marketing campaign went on, he slowly started to develop a sharper critique of Trump whereas nonetheless awkwardly celebrating the accomplishments of the administration during which he served.

Who wished him to run?
Conservative Christians and rabbit lovers, however not very many individuals general.

Might he have gained the nomination?
It wasn’t within the playing cards.


Chris Christie
(Ida Mae Astute / Getty)

Chris Christie

Who’s he?
What a journey this man has had, from U.S. lawyer to revered governor of New Jersey to traffic-jam laughingstock to Trump sidekick to Trump critic. Whew.

Is he working?
No. He introduced on January 10 that he was dropping out, someday after calling New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu a “liar” for saying that his marketing campaign was almost over.

Why did he wish to run?
By the top of his marketing campaign, Chris Christie had turned himself into essentially the most anti-Trump candidate within the race—calling the previous president out, with names and with rhetoric, and insisting he shouldn’t be the GOP nominee. In actual fact, that got here to be Christie’s solely actual identification as a candidate.

Who wished him to run?
Trump-skeptical donors, liberal pundits. However by the top, even some Trump critics have been pressuring him to drop out in an effort to permit the non-Trump vote to consolidate.

Might he have gained the nomination?
No staunchly anti-Trump candidate may win in Trump’s Republican Social gathering.


Doug Burgum
(Todd Williamson / Getty)

Doug Burgum

Who’s he?
Do you even take note of politics? Nah, simply kidding. A self-made software program billionaire, Burgum is serving his second time period because the governor of North Dakota.

Is he working?
No extra. Burgum suspended his marketing campaign on December 4. He’d kicked it off on June 7 in Fargo.

Why did he wish to run?
Self-importance? Boredom? Noble however doomed impulses? Who is aware of. His campaign-announcement video focuses a lot on North Dakota that it appeared extra like a reelection push. He informed a state newspaper that he thinks the “silent majority” of Individuals desires candidates who aren’t on the extremes. (A rich outsider focusing on the silent majority? The place have we heard that earlier than?) He additionally actually desires extra home oil manufacturing.

Who wished him to run?
Virtually nobody. He needed to give individuals $20 reward playing cards to get them to donate to his marketing campaign so he may qualify for debates.

Might he have gained the nomination?
“There’s a worth to being underestimated on a regular basis,” he has stated. Because it seems, the naysayers estimated precisely.


Will Hurd
(Scott Olson / Getty)

Will Hurd

Who’s he?
A former CIA officer, Hurd served three phrases within the Home, representing a San Antonio–space district.

Is he working?
No. Hurd, who introduced his marketing campaign on June 22, dropped out on October 9 and endorsed Nikki Haley.

Why did he wish to run?
Hurd stated he had “commonsense” concepts and was “pissed” that elected officers are dividing Individuals. He’s additionally been an outspoken Trump critic.

Who wished him to run?
As a average, youngish Black Republican and somebody who cares about protection, he’s the type of candidate whom the occasion institution appeared to want after the now-discarded 2012 GOP post-mortem.

Might he have gained the nomination?
No.


Francis Suarez
(Mandel Ngan / Getty)

Francis Suarez

Who’s he?
Suarez is the favored second-term mayor of Miami and the president of the U.S. Convention of Mayors.

Is he working?
No. He suspended his marketing campaign on August 29, lower than three months after his June 15 entry.

Why did he wish to run?
Suarez touted his youth—he’s 45—and stated in October 2022, “I’m somebody who believes in a optimistic aspirational message. I’m somebody who has a observe report of success and a method for achievement.”

Who wished him to run?
Is there actually room for one more moderate-ish Republican within the race? Apparently not! Regardless of dabbling in fundraising shenanigans, Suarez didn’t make the primary Republican debate (or another splash).

Might he have gained the nomination?
No method.


larry hogan
(Drew Angerer / Getty)

Larry Hogan

Who’s he?
Hogan left workplace this yr, after serving two phrases as governor of Maryland.

Is he working?
No. Hogan dominated himself out of the GOP race in 2023, saying he was anxious that getting into would assist Trump win the nomination. He endorsed Nikki Haley, however was rumored as a possible No Labels candidate. On February 9, nonetheless, he filed to run for U.S. Senate in Maryland.

Why did he wish to run?
Hogan has argued that his expertise of governing a really blue state as a Republican is a mannequin: “We’ve been actually profitable outdoors of Washington, the place every little thing seems to be damaged and nothing however divisiveness and dysfunction.”

Who wished him to run?
Useless-ender centrists.

Might he win the nomination?
No.


chris sununu
(John Locher / AP)

Chris Sununu

Who’s he?
The governor of New Hampshire, he’s the little brother of former Senator John E. Sununu and the son of former White Home Chief of Employees John H. Sununu.

Is he working?
No. On June 5, after weighing a marketing campaign, he introduced that he wouldn’t run. Warning in regards to the risks of a Trump reprise, he stated, “Each candidate wants to know the duty of getting out and getting out shortly if it’s not working.” Factors for taking his personal recommendation!

Why did he wish to run?
Sununu appears disgusted by quite a lot of Washington politics and noticed his success in New Hampshire, a purple-blue state, as a mannequin for small-government conservatism. He’s additionally a distinguished Trump critic.

Who wished him to run?
Trump-skeptical Republicans, old-school conservatives.

Might he have gained the nomination?
No.


mike pompeo
(Scott Olson / Getty)

Mike Pompeo

Who’s he?
Pompeo, a former member of Congress, led the CIA and was secretary of state beneath Trump.

Is he working?
No. On April 14, Pompeo introduced that he wasn’t working. “This isn’t that point or that second for me to hunt elected workplace once more,” he stated.

Why did he wish to run?
Pompeo has at all times been formidable, and he appears to assume he can mix MAGA proximity with a hawkish foreign-policy strategy.

Who wished him to run?
That’s not completely clear.

Might he have gained the nomination?
Possibly, however in all probability not.


glenn youngkin
(Misha Friedman / Getty)

Glenn Youngkin

Who’s he?
Youngkin, the previous CEO of the private-equity Carlyle Group, was elected governor of Virginia in 2021.

Is he working?
No. He spent a lot of 2023 refusing to categorically rule out a race however not fairly committing. As Ron DeSantis’s Trump-alternative glow dimmed, Youngkin gave the impression to be hoping that Republican success in off-year Virginia legislative elections would give him a lift. After Democrats gained management of each the state’s legislative chambers, nonetheless, he stated he was “not going anyplace.”

Why did he wish to run?
Youngkin is a little bit of a cipher; he ran for governor largely on training points, and has sought to tighten abortion legal guidelines in Virginia, however the legislative defeat makes that unlikely.

Who wished him to run?
Rupert Murdoch, reportedly, in addition to different rich, business-friendly Republican figures.

Might he have gained the nomination?
Definitely not with out working, and virtually actually not if he did.


Mike Rogers
(Sam Wolfe / Bloomberg / Getty)

Mike Rogers

Who’s he?
Rogers is a congressman from Alabam—wait, no, sorry, that’s the different Consultant Mike Rogers. This one is from Michigan and retired in 2015. He was beforehand an FBI agent and was head of the Intelligence Committee whereas on Capitol Hill.

Is he working?
No. He considered it however introduced in late August that he would run for U.S. Senate as a substitute.

Why did he wish to run?
He laid out some unassailably broad concepts for a marketing campaign in an interview with Fox Information, together with a give attention to innovation and civic training, nevertheless it’s onerous to inform what precisely the objective is right here. “This isn’t an arrogance undertaking for me,” he added, which, okay, positive.

Who wished him to run?
It’s not clear that anybody even seen he was working.

Might he have gained the nomination?
Nope.


Larry Elder
(Todd Williamson / Getty)

Larry Elder

Who’s he?
A longtime conservative radio host and columnist, he ran as a Republican within the unsuccessful 2021 try and recall California Governor Gavin Newsom.

Is he working?
Not anymore. Elder introduced his marketing campaign on Tucker Carlson’s Fox Information present on April 20, however then disappeared with out a hint. On October 27, he dropped out and endorsed Trump.

Why did he wish to run?
Glad you requested! “America is in decline, however this decline isn’t inevitable,” he tweeted. “We are able to enter a brand new American Golden Age, however we should select a frontrunner who can deliver us there. That’s why I’m working for President.” We don’t have any concept what meaning both.

Who wished him to run?
Virtually nobody.

Might he have gained the nomination?
Completely not.


Rick Perry
(Todd Williamson / Getty)

Rick Perry

Who’s he?
Perry was a three-term governor of Texas earlier than serving as vitality secretary beneath Donald Trump. He’s additionally run for president 3 times: in 2012, 2016, and … I neglect the third one. Oops.

Is he working?
Oh, proper! The third one is 2024, possibly. He informed CNN in Could that he’s contemplating a run. Nothing’s been heard since. We’ll say no.

Why did he wish to run?
He didn’t say, however he’s struggled to articulate a lot of a compelling case to Republican voters past the truth that he’s from Texas, he seems good in a go well with, and he desires to be president, gosh darn it.

Who wished him to run?
Most likely nobody. As Mike Pompeo already found, there wasn’t a lot of a marketplace for a run-of-the-mill former Trump Cupboard member within the major—particularly one who had such a forgettable flip as secretary, largely remembered for being dragged peripherally into each the primary Trump impeachment and election subversion.

Might he have gained the nomination?
The third time wouldn’t have been a appeal.


Rick Scott
(Joe Raedle / Getty)

Rick Scott

Who’s he?
Earlier than his present gig as a U.S. senator from Florida, Scott was governor and chief government of a health-care firm that dedicated large Medicare fraud.

Is he working?
The New York Instances says he’s contemplating it, although an aide stated Scott is working for reelection to the Senate. He’d be the fourth Floridian within the race.

Why does he wish to run?
A Scott marketing campaign would elevate a captivating query: What should you took Trump’s pose and beliefs however eliminated all of the charisma and, as a substitute of promising to guard common entitlement applications, aimed to demolish them?

Who desires him to run?
Not Mitch McConnell.

Can he win the nomination?
lol


THIRD-PARTY AND INDEPENDENT


Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
(Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune / Getty)

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Who’s he?
The son of a presidential candidate, the nephew of one other, and the nephew of a president, Kennedy is a longtime environmental activist and in addition a continual crank.

Is he working?
Type of? On August 23, Kennedy introduced that he’s suspending his marketing campaign however not ending it. In a bid to assist Trump, whom he endorsed, he’s exiting the poll in intently contested states, however staying put in different states and asking that supporters nonetheless pull the lever for him. Kennedy beforehand introduced his run for the Democratic nomination on April 19, 2023, and on October 9 of that yr, he dropped out to run as an unbiased.

Why did he wish to run?
Operating for president is a household custom. His marketing campaign was organized round his esoteric mixture of left-wing pursuits (the surroundings, drug costs) and right-wing causes (vaccine skepticism, anger about social-media “deplatforming”), however his pseudo-exit aids Trump, apparently as a strategy to get again at a Democratic institution whose rejection has deeply harm him.

Who wished him to run?
When he introduced, Kennedy reached double digits in polls towards Biden, however by the point he suspended his marketing campaign, he’d misplaced most of his help, and by some measures was drawing votes largely from Trump.

What have been his prospects?
Kennedy was by no means going to be president, however he has succeeded in ruining no matter was left of his respectability. Now, with nothing on the road, he is doing what he can to return Trump to energy—a craven finish to a craven run.


Joe Manchin
(Tom Williams / Getty)

Joe Manchin

Who’s he?
A Democratic U.S. senator and former governor of West Virginia, he was the pivotal centrist vote for the primary two years of Joe Biden’s time period.

Is he working?
No. Manchin introduced on February 16 that he wouldn’t run, after months of flirtation.

Why did he wish to run?
Some mixture of true perception and umbrage. I’ve described him as “a middle-of-the-road man with good electoral instincts, respectable intentions, and dangerous concepts,” however he additionally periodically appears personally piqued at Biden and the Democrats over slights perceived or actual.

Who wished him to run?
The centrist group No Labels courted him as a candidate, in search of a high-profile determine prepared to buck his occasion. Democrats have been terrified that he’d siphon off sufficient votes at hand Trump or one other Republican the win in a three-way race.

What have been his prospects?
“Make no mistake, I’ll win any race I enter,” he stated in April. That may clarify his resolution to skip it.


Cornel West
(Frederick M. Brown / Getty)

Cornel West

Who’s he?
West is a thinker, a theologian, a professor, a preacher, a gadfly, a progressive activist, an actor, a spoken-word recording artist, an creator … and we’re in all probability lacking a number of.

Is he working?
Sure. He introduced his marketing campaign on the Folks’s Social gathering ticket on June 5. Quickly thereafter he switched to the Inexperienced Social gathering, which could have gotten him the very best poll entry. However as of October, he’s working as an unbiased.

Why does he wish to run?
“In these bleak occasions, I’ve determined to run for reality and justice, which takes the type of working for president of the US,” he stated in his announcement video. West is a fierce leftist who has described Trump as a “neofascist” and Biden as a “milquetoast neoliberal.”

Who desires him to run?
West was a high-profile backer of Bernie Sanders, and it’s straightforward to think about him successful over a few of Sanders’s fervent followers. Now that he’s working as an unbiased, he’ll probably have hassle constructing a base of his personal.

What are his prospects?
Let’s hear from Brother West: “Do we’ve got what it takes? We will see,” he stated. “However a few of us are going to go down preventing, go down swinging, with fashion and a smile.”


Jill Stein
(Alex Wong / Getty)

Jill Stein

Who’s she?
Right here’s what I wrote in 2016: “A Massachusetts resident and doctor, she is a candidate of almost Stassen-like frequency, having run for president in 2012 and a slew of different places of work earlier than that.”

Is she working?
So it appears. Now that Cornel West’s marketing campaign (which she briefly managed, no matter meaning) has dropped out of competition for the Inexperienced Social gathering nomination, she has filed to run on the Inexperienced line.

Why does she wish to run?
Although she hasn’t laid out a platform but, you will get an honest sense of what her marketing campaign is prone to appear to be from her 2016 points: a reasonably commonplace leftist give attention to social justice, the surroundings, and peace. Her bizarre feedback after the 2016 election make one suspect that self-importance performs a task, too.

Who desires her to run?
The Inexperienced Social gathering has a small however constant batch of voters and poll entry in lots of states. It’s additionally clear who doesn’t need her to run: Democrats who worry that a fair midway efficient Inexperienced candidate will price Harris simply sufficient votes to lose in key swing states. (For the report, the case that she price Hillary Clinton the 2016 race is shaky.)

What are her prospects?
Since she’s the closest factor the Greens should a confirmed amount, she needs to be in a powerful place for the nomination. After which what?


Liz Cheney
(Gary Gershoff / Getty)

Liz Cheney

Who’s she?
The scion of a rock-ribbed Republican household in Wyoming, she served in Home GOP management earlier than breaking with Trump and shedding her 2022 major.

Is she working?
No. She informed The Washington Publish in December that she was contemplating a run, however gave no indications of a marketing campaign after that.

Why would she wish to run?
She says she’s going to do “no matter it takes” to deprive Trump of a second time period. It can also’t harm to tease a marketing campaign once you’re launching a brand new ebook, as she is.

Who wished her to run?
As a lifelong conservative, Cheney would have drawn the help of many By no means Trump Republicans. As a result of she has grow to be an unlikely resistance hero, she may additionally have attracted independents and even Democrats who detest Trump however weren’t sizzling on Biden.

What have been her prospects?
Cheney wouldn’t have gained, however that presumably wouldn’t have been her objective. Whether or not she’d have accomplished a lot to harm Trump is one other query.



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