By Bryan Pinero
With the beginning of a new year comes a new collection of events, whether it’d be upcoming releases in media such as movies and television, or political matters, such as new laws or international affairs. For 2024, one of the events taking place in the U.S. is Election Day, set to occur on November 5th according to Miami-Dade County’s 2024 election calendar. With this in mind, it is time to look at the candidates of this year’s presidential election.
To begin, here are the candidates from the Republican Party. First, there is Donald Trump, the former 45th president of the United States, who was in office from 2017 to 2021. According to NBC News, Trump’s campaign positions include supporting legislation that shows a “record investment” towards the police and signing an executive order that tells federal agencies to end any programs that “promote the concept of sex and gender transition at any age.”
“Former President Trump was the first candidate to declare his intent to run for the GOP nomination in 2024. He also became the first former president to face any kind of criminal charges after being indicted by a Manhattan grand jury,” says NBC News.
Next, there is Ron DeSantis, who has been serving as the governor of Florida since 2019. DeSantis has been focusing his campaign on bringing the conservative policies he has imposed in Florida to a national level, such as the “Parental Rights in Education” bill. This bill bans the teaching of sexual orientation or gender identity to students in kindergarten through third grade.
Nikki Haley, the former United Nations ambassador and South Carolina governor, is also running for the Republican Party. Haley plans to support the idea of Congress members having term limits and “mandatory mental competency” tests for politicians who are over the age of 75 years old.
Yet another candidate is Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur, conservative commentator, and the author of “Woke, Inc: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam.” Ramaswamy plans to promote “socially responsible” investing, according to AP News, and increase the age of voting from 18 to 25.
The final candidate from the Republican party is Asa Hutchinson, who was a U.S. Representative from 1997 to 2001 and the governor of Arkansas from 2015 to 2023. Hutchinson wants to reduce the federal civilian workforce by 10% and make a commission that protects Social Security and Medicare.
Now, here are the candidates that are running from the Democratic Party. First, there is Joe Biden, the 46th and current U.S. President who has been in office since 2021. Biden plans to protect Social Security and Medicare, along with democracy and the U.S.’s traditions, such as having open elections.
“President Joe Biden launched his re-election campaign by urging Americans to ‘finish the job,’ making a case for allowing his administration to continue to press its agenda and asserting himself as the country’s best option against a field of Republican candidates,” says NBC News.
Next, there is Marianne Williamson, who is an author who gained popularity for her appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” where she was Oprah’s “spiritual advisor,” according to NBC. She campaigns to protect the “reproductive rights and freedoms” given by the Roe v. Wade case in 1973.
Finally, there is U.S. Representative Dean Phillips, also campaigning for the Democrats. Phillips campaigns to boost public safety by increasing funding for police and first responders, along with increasing border security.
Accompanying these Republican and Democratic candidates, there are also third-party or independent candidates. There is Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the son of former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and the nephew of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Additionally, there is Cornel West, a professor, historian, and political activist, and Jill Stein, who is a physician and environmental activist.
With many candidates varying from different parties, the public has a wide choice of contenders that they can support in this election year. As the year progresses, we’ll see which of these candidates will stay in the race and become the main candidates of the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
