Who Will Run in 2024?
After one of the most divided presidential elections in American history, it goes without saying that the predictability from the White House over the next four years will be a nice moment of peace for many. But, as this presidency has only just begun, the question of who will likely follow President Biden looms over political minds everywhere. Here are some names we can expect to see in the 2024 presidential election.
Kamala Harris
With President Biden being the oldest commander-in-chief ever, it’s not an expectation that he will run in 2024. So, Vice President Kamala Harris is the likely forerunner of the Democratic party for the race. Not only does she have the reputation of being charismatic and thoughtful in her decisions, but she’s proven herself to be a soldier for the Democrats in more ways than one. Because of this, she’s been put in a strangely close to equal position to the President himself, and has been put right alongside Biden in the White House.
Harris has also broken down barriers, being the first woman, black person, or south Asian person to ever occupy the office of Vice President. This shattering of the glass ceiling was more than just nice symbolism; it prepares her to be a fierce leader of a party that is looking decreasingly uniform.
The experience she gains in the west wing along with her impressive resume outside of the White House ensures that Harris will make it onto the debate stage in 2024, if not to the residence of her old office.
Donald Trump
As I write this, the former president is on trial for the second time in the Senate, but the result of the trial is what many are calling a foregone conclusion. Assuming Trump can walk away from this month without being convicted and barred from holding office again, he will be more than allowed to run for office again.
His candidacy is up in the air to be sure; he left office with 68% of Americans saying they didn’t want to see him as a major political figure going forwards. That being said, Trump maintains control over an unrivaled base in the Republican party, and his ability to mobilize that base with nothing more than a few speeches gives him the opportunity to move swiftly compared to anyone else in the GOP.
It’s important to remember that Trump might not even want to run again. In fact, many have speculated that he didn’t even like the job when he had it, so it certainly begs the question of why he would want it again. Regardless, there’s next to no doubt that his base is what the Republicans need to gain to have any hope of winning the Presidency, and it’s Trump that has them within his clutches.
Joe Biden
Despite expectations that he won’t be running again in 2024, some speculated that inauguration day was designed to be only half of Biden’s two-part series.
However, it would be a tough run to make. Biden showed issues with his stamina in the 2020 election, and though his team was afforded the beneficial stance of staying low, there could very possibly be questions of whether or not he would be up for another run at the age of 82.
That’s not to mention that age isn’t a great message for a candidate or a party. Kamala Harris has provided a young face and youthful energy to the Biden administration, but this energy likely wouldn’t hold well in a second run.
Biden has shown time and time again that he could make a strong case, especially if he does a good job in the next four years. But there would be some clear challenges for the President to overcome if he wants to do it all again.
Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley
Aside from a greying beard, these two men bring the same things to the table, so it only makes sense that they be lumped into the same category.
Cruz and Hawley have been open supporters of the 45th president during his entire term, particularly making noise after the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol building. They’ve been staunch Republicans for a while, but more notably, they’ve been borderline extremists over the last four years.
Their strategy will be simple — tap into as much of Trump’s base as possible, and hope and pray that he won’t be running again. With these senators, the Republican party is going to have to decide if it will continue along the path it’s been going down for years, or uproot itself and change course altogether.
The 2024 presidential race is going to be fascinating. We’re likely to see voter turnout like never before, and the parties are being more energized than ever with an influx of new voters and volunteers ready to help. The race is going to be a bitter fight; it will be bloody and rough, and we all might lose a few brain cells along the way. What’s more? It’s possible that nothing at all will change.