Where six names floated for 2024 stand on presidential bid
Jack Birle
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As more candidates begin to announce bids for the presidency in 2024, several possible contenders have yet to commit to a run for the White House.
The 2024 cycle will see a heavily contentious primary on the Republican side but could also see an open contest on the Democratic side if President Joe Biden decides against a reelection bid. Here is the latest on three Republicans and three Democrats rumored to be eyeing a run for the presidency.
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Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL)
DeSantis is widely expected to announce a White House bid in late May or early June and has been making visits to various spots across the country in anticipation of a run. The Florida governor appeared at two events in California on Sunday, discussing his book at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley and then attending a fundraising event for the Orange County GOP in Anaheim.
He is also poised to command the Florida state legislature through an ambitious session before announcing a bid. Proposals DeSantis has promoted to the legislature include sweeping changes to school choice, gun laws, immigration screening for private employers, and changing the requirements for the death penalty.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA)
Newsom has said he does not plan to run for president, and most Californians say they do not want him running.
Despite saying he is not seeking higher office in 2024, he is positioned to be an alternative should Biden not run for reelection. Newsom has targeted other Republicans in other states, including DeSantis, arguing his state is the true beacon of freedom. His name has been tossed around as a possible candidate, but he does not appear likely to test the waters unless Biden bows out.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV)
Manchin, a centrist who has been ostracized by his party for voting against some of Biden’s agenda, recently said he is not running for president “today” but has not dismissed a 2024 run. He also recently sidestepped questions about whether he would run for reelection for his Senate seat or for president in 2024 while also not endorsing Biden for president.
“I’m not taking anything off the table. And I’m not putting anything on the table,” Manchin said on CBS News’s Face the Nation on Sunday.
Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH)
Sununu has teased a presidential bid in the past, telling CNN in January that he was exploring a run but had no timetable on when he will make a decision, but he now appears to be hinting at bowing out of the 2024 cycle.
The governor told NBC News’s Meet the Press that he does not believe former President Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee, saying DeSantis would win the New Hampshire primary if it were held today. He also said he is looking for victory in 2024, no matter who the candidate is.
“I’m really focused on how do we win no matter who the candidate is,” Sununu said. “How do we win in November of ‘24? We have to attract independents. We have to bring that next generation of voter more on the team.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL)
Pritzker has been named in Democratic circles as a 2024 contender, with a report from the New York Times dubbing him the Democratic Party’s “SOS candidate” if Biden does not run.
The governor confirmed Sunday he is not running in 2024, saying he is endorsing Biden for a second term.
“No, I’m supporting Joe Biden. He’s running for reelection, and he’s gonna get reelected. I’m just happy that people think of me in that way. That’s certainly very flattering, but I intend to serve out my term as governor of Illinois,” Pritzker told CBS’s Face the Nation.
Former Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AK)
Hutchinson has teased running for president and appears to be setting the stage for a bid by saying that “more voices” are needed to combat Trump in the GOP primary.
“I actually think that more voices right now in opposition or providing an alternative to Donald Trump is the best thing,” Hutchinson told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday. “This is not 2016. Donald Trump is a known quantity. He makes his message of revenge clear, and it’s different.”
He said he will use March as a “message” month while announcing his decision on whether to run for president in April.
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Of the declared major candidates on the Republican side, Trump, former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC), and entrepreneur and author Vivek Ramaswamy have announced their campaigns. Biden is expected to announce his reelection bid soon and so far is only being challenged by self-help author Marianne Williamson.
Former Gov. Larry Hogan (R-MD) announced Sunday he would not be running for president, saying he did not want to crowd the GOP field. He also pushed for Republicans to move past Trump.