With the 2024 presidential election approaching, the number of candidates for Democratic and Republican nominees remains small. In past elections, both parties have had many different candidates that each represent directions the party could go in, but this year both parties are set in their ways.
It’s clear the conservative Republicans are ready to live and die with Trump. After their loss in the 2020 national election they have never wavered their support for Trump. Even after the insurrection and countless suits against him, they believe he is innocent and the ideal person to be in charge. The party has had many options to go in other directions such as Nikki Haley, Ron Desantis and Vivek Ramaswamy, but at every turn Republicans are sticking with Trump. Ron Desantis came in as the frontrunner to challenge Trump as they have similar values, but Republicans showed they don’t want a younger version of Trump, they want the original. Nikki Haley is the only Republican left against Trump as she continues to argue that he is “unhinged” and not fit for president. She is still far behind, but does have a large fanbase of Republicans who want to move on from Trump. Viveck Ramaswamy came in a wild card with ideas that the capital attack was an “inside job.” He has also said radical ideas such as that 9/11 was an inside job. However, he quickly dropped out due to low support. Trump and Haley are still battling it out, but it would be a miracle if Trump were to lose. This low number of candidates is surprising coming off a disappointing re-election campaign for Trump in 2020.
The Democrats are coming off a successful 2020 with Joe Biden winning the race. With his first term coming to an end, he is looking to win a second term. The Democrats had many candidates in 2020, with the official candidate not being decided for a long time. It is normal that after a president’s first term the nomination is theirs (if they decide to run again). That is what looked to be the situation again this year until Minnesota congressman Dean Phillips decided to challenge Biden. This was extremely surprising considering he’s a congressman from Minnesota with little to no national recognition. Many Democrats are upset that someone is going up against Biden and have grilled Phillips for his unpopular decision. In response to this, Phillips has said that he thinks he is the best option to beat Trump. While this logic seems fair, there is no chance he will win. Phillips has also said that at the end of the summer Biden is leading in the polls he will drop out and if Phillips is leading in the Democratic category, he hopes Biden will drop out. Chances are Biden will be winning substantially and will win the nomination to take on Trump in the election.
Although the Democratic and Republican candidates get nearly all the attention, there are still some people running for president separate from either party. The most notable independent bid in this election is Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nephew of President John F. Kennedy. He launched his campaign in April as a challenger to Biden, but later in October he switched to being independent and a spoiler candidate for Trump as well as Biden. He is well known for having a heavy belief in anti-vaccination, and many people – even members of his own family – have called his work dangerous and misleading.
While there is some drama in both parties, it seems that 77-year-old Donald Trump will take on 81-year-old Joe Biden. Both candidates have strong bases and even stronger haters, but when it comes down to it, both are their party’s best option. Many students will be able to vote and will make their choice between these two or an independent candidate.
