2024 presidential race: Which Republicans are running so far?

Field of candidates hoping for party nomination widens

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  Former US president Donald Trump was the first Republican to officially announce his bid for the 2024 election. Reuters

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  Nikki Haley put her name in for the Republican Party nomination in February. AP

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  Ms Haley had originally vowed not to stand in the way if Mr Trump was running for president, but became the first major Republican candidate to enter the race against him. AP

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  Co-founder and executive chairman of Strive Asset Management Vivek Ramaswamy said he'd step down to pursue the Republican nomination. EPA

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  Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, said he intended to run for president again after his failed attempt in 2020. Reuters

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  Sixteen months after the US Capitol was sacked by a pro-Trump mob chanting 'hang Mike Pence', the target of that fury is making nice with far-right Republicans. AFP

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  Mr Pence has begun setting aside years of unswerving loyalty to Mr Trump and is showing a newly defiant, independent side as it looks increasingly likely that he will make a bid for the White House. AFP

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  Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is expected to announce his candidacy for president in the coming weeks or months. AFP

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  Mr Trump faces an increasingly serious challenge in Mr DeSantis, who is ranking high in 2024 polls. AP

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  Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina is gauging voter support to explore a presidential campaign. AP

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  Former US national security adviser John Bolton told The National that he is 'considering running'. AP

The US is just over a year away from the next presidential election and several Republicans, including former president Donald Trump, have thrown their hats into the ring.

The race for the Republican Party's nomination is shaping up to be a crowded one, although Mr Trump remains the flyaway frontrunner.

The party has already had its first debate event, but without the former president who instead opted for a solo interview.

President Joe Biden has officially announced his re-election bid. The 80-year-old Democrat faces few serious challengers, although his age is a top concern among voters.

Here, The National takes a look at which Republicans are running and who might join later on.

Donald Trump

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  This photo taken on January 6, 2021, shows Trump supporters battling with police and security forces as they storm the US Capitol building in Washington. AFP

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  A US House of Representatives committee has been investigating the events of January 6 and what role former US president Donald Trump played. EPA / Pool

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  Reports surfaced earlier this year that Mr Trump took classified government documents with him to his private residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. AP

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  Mr Trump's private residence in Mar-a-Lago. Getty Images / AFP

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  Mr Trump launched his own social media site, Truth Social, following his ban from Twitter. Here, he airs grievances against Tesla head Elon Musk, who had said it was time for the former president to 'sail into the sunset'. Screengrab / Truth Social

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  New York state Attorney General Letitia James says a more than three-year investigation has found evidence that the Trump Organisation misstated asset valuations to get favourable loans and tax breaks. AP

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  Mr Trump and his family attend the funeral of his first wife, Ivana, in New York City. Reuters

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  Mr Trump has endorsed a number of candidates for various offices since leaving office, including Joe Kent of Washington who is challenging Jaime Herrera Beutler for a House of Representatives seat. Here, Mr Kent speaks in support of people who took part in the January 6 insurrection. AP

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  Mr Trump prepares to speak at a rally in Phoenix, Arizona. AP

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  Georgia state senator Burt Jones prepares to speak during a rally held by Mr Trump in Commerce, Georgia. Reuters

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  Mr Trump speaks at a Save America rally in Prescott, Arizona. AP

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  A man poses for a photo before a Trump rally in Pennsylvania. Reuters

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  Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Dr Mehmet Oz, who is backed by Mr Trump, speaks during a rally in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Reuters

The former US president announced his third bid for the White House in November after midterm elections in which many pro-Trump candidates lost, leading Republicans to wonder about his future in the party.

Mr Trump is embroiled in four federal and state-level criminal cases, and must juggle campaign events with an increasingly complicated legal calendar.

The felony prosecutions, and even a conviction, do not prevent him from running.

He lost to Mr Biden in 2020, in a race he continues to falsely claim was stolen from him.

If Mr Trump is selected to run against Mr Biden, it would be the first US presidential rematch since 1956.

Ron DeSantis

The Florida Governor officially launched his campaign for the Republican party's nomination in May, during a bungled Twitter Spaces event.

He had originally been seen as a serious challenger to Mr Trump, occasionally polling high against the former president, but recent months have seen his popularity fall.

Mr DeSantis is probably best known for his hardline stance on illegal immigration and his campaign against “wokeness”, which has attracted national attention, and brought travel advisories against the south-eastern state.

Vivek Ramaswamy

The anti-environment activist, investor and businessman said in February that he would enter the race. He drew a lot of attention in the first party debate in Milwaukee.

Mr Ramaswamy, who is of Indian descent, stepped down as executive chairman of Strive Asset Management to pursue the Republican nomination.

Nikki Haley

Ms Haley, a former US ambassador to the UN and governor of South Carolina, formally joined the campaign field in February, despite saying she would not run against her former boss, Mr Trump.

“I'm a grateful American citizen who knows our best days are yet to come if we unite and fight to save our country,” she said at her campaign launch event.

If elected, Ms Haley would become the first female president and the first of Indian descent.

Mike Pence

The former vice president filed official papers for his presidential campaign in June, gearing up for a national fight against his former boss.

Mr Pence has offered only limited criticism of Mr Trump, fearful of a backlash from the former president's loyal base.

Mr Trump had asked his deputy to overturn the results of the 2020 election on January 6, 2021, but Mr Pence refused.

“The American people deserve to know that the president ... asked me to put him over the Constitution and I chose the Constitution,” Mr Pence said.

Chris Christie

A former governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, was an adviser during Mr Trump's campaign in 2016, and a federal prosecutor.

He has spoken about how his experience makes him a strong candidate against the former president.

He was one of two people at the Republican debate to say they would not support Mr Trump as Republican nominee if he is convicted.

“Someone's got to stop normalising this conduct,” Mr Christie said. “Whether or not you believe that the criminal charges are right or wrong, the conduct is beneath the office of president of the United States.”

Tim Scott

Currently a senator for South Carolina, Mr Scott filed for his presidential run in May, after attending a presidential forum and launching an exploratory committee.

He is the only black Republican in the Senate.

Asa Hutchinson

A former governor of Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson has announced he is going to run for presidency.

“I’ve travelled the country for six months,” he said. “I hear people talk about the leadership of our country.

“I’m convinced that people want leaders that appeal to the best of America, and not simply appeal to our worst instincts.”

Mr Hutchinson has worked in US federal government as head of the Drug Enforcement Administration and an undersecretary of the Department of Homeland Security under former president George W Bush's administration.

Larry Elder

The radio host threw his name into the ring during an appearance on Fox News, less than two years after a failed campaign to replace California Governor Gavin Newsom in a recall election.

“We can enter a new American Golden Age, but we must choose a leader who can bring us there. That’s why I’m running for president,” Mr Elder told Tucker Carlson in April.

Perry Johnson

Businessman Perry Johnson announced his presidential campaign while at the Conservative Political Action Conference in March.

He does not have any experience in elected government work, but failed in a bid to run for Michigan governor in 2022. He was found to have filed fraudulent signatures for his candidacy.

Doug Burgum

Former businessman and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum announced his long-shot campaign in June, proclaiming his "small-town values" can help lead the US in a better direction.

Will Hurd

Will Hurd, a one-time CIA officer and former US representative for Texas, launched his campaign as a moderate Republican in June. He served in the House of Representatives until January 2021.

Ryan Binkley

Texas pastor and chief executive Ryan Binkley launched his long-shot bid in April on a campaign based on "peace, safety, security and care".

Ye

Despite releasing a video announcing his bid, the disgraced artist formerly known as Kanye West has not filed the required paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to formally start a presidential campaign as an independent.

Ye's business partnerships disintegrated after he made a series of anti-Semitic comments.

He ran for president in 2020 but only received 60,000 votes in 12 states.

John Bolton

Mr Bolton served as Mr Trump's national security adviser, but the two had a very public falling out, with the former president calling him a warmonger.

He described Mr Trump as “juvenile”, and such is his disdain for his former boss that he is running against him in the 2024 presidential elections.

“I'm considering running. And I was prompted to do so because of the comments that Trump made about terminating the Constitution so that he could be declared the winner of the 2020 election,” Mr Bolton told The National.

Francis Suarez

The Miami mayor became the third candidate from Florida to join the Republican field in June.

He suspended his campaign in late August after not qualifying for the first party debate, making him the first candidate to drop out of the race.