President Joe Biden
In his campaign appeal, 81-year-old Biden promises to defend Social Security, voting rights, and abortion. He portrays Trump as a danger to the United States and asserts that he is prepared to oppose him. Biden's lauded legislative victories in the areas of semiconductors, the environment, and infrastructure.
Former President Donald Trump
Early 2024 polls show that former president Donald Trump, 77, is in the lead. He is the subject of several legal investigations, two of which have led to criminal accusations.
His elevator pitch: The former president has made false claims repeatedly that the 2020 election was rigged, painting himself as the victim of prosecutors who were overly aggressive and driven by politics. The economy, crime, and border security are the campaign's main themes.
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida
His elevator pitch: With a strong legislative record in the Sunshine State and a far-right cultural agenda based on issues of race, gender, and education, DeSantis, 45, is basing his campaign on these achievements.
Former governor of Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson
His elevator pitch: Hutchinson, 73, is an outspoken opponent of Trump who believes the outgoing president ought to withdraw from the contest. Hutchinson presented himself as the candidate who demonstrates "consistent conservatism," claiming that the nation is dealing with "one of the most unpredictable political environments" he has ever seen.
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy
His elevator pitch: The 38-year-old Ramaswamy, who has never run for politics, declared that he wants to revive America's "national identity" and emphasized his worldview, which is more conservative than Trump's. In addition to being a vocal opponent of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, he is the author of the book "Woke Inc."
Nikki Haley, a 51-year-old former governor of South Carolina and U.S. ambassador to the UN, is most likely the sole female candidate in the Republican field.
Her political message emphasizes her history as the daughter of Indian immigrants and her call for a new generation of leaders to advance the nation.
Self-help author Marianne Williamson Williamson, 71, launched a failed 2020 presidential campaign.
Her elevator pitch: Williamson aspires to challenge corporate power and address economic inequality. He favors universal health care and tuition-free public schools and institutions.
Lawyer and activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Kennedy, 69, who is a vocal opponent of vaccines and the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, announced his candidacy for the Democratic nominee in April.
He said in October that he was running as an independent and dumping the Democratic moniker. Kennedy, an environmental lawyer, has attacked the pharmaceutical industry and the closing of schools and businesses during the pandemic. He claims that the media and the government "lie to us." This is his campaign pitch.
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, 61, now refers to him as a "coward" and a "puppet of Putin."
Christie's campaign pitch: He positions himself as the contender who has the "guts" and bravery to take on Trump.
In 2018, Rep. Dean Phillips Phillips, a 54-year-old moderate member of Congress serving three terms, managed to flip a Republican seat. Up until this year, he was a part of the House Democratic leadership.
His elevator pitch: In contrast to Biden, Phillips has positioned himself as a more youthful and likable candidate. He declared that the economy, security, "policies that invest in our future," and "listening to each other to get back to a less divisive political environment" will be the main focuses of his campaign.
Prominent progressive scholar and activist Cornel West is an independent candidate.
Ryan Binkley, a Republican businessman, has also announced his unlikely presidential candidacy.
The creator of The Young Turks, a liberal progressive news organization, Cenk Uygur, declared in October that he will run against Biden for the Democratic nomination.
In November of last year, Jill Stein declared her candidacy as a member of the Green Party for president. In 2012 and 2016, she made two failed attempts to win the Green Party nomination.