2024 presidential race: Which Republicans are running so far?

The US is less than two years 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, but polling data compiled by Real Clear Politics in late February showed Mr Trump is currently the front-runner.

The Democratic Party, on the other hand, has been awaiting an expected re-election bid from current President Joe Biden.

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

Donald Trump

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

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 currently embroiled in a number of federal and state-level lawsuits, including a number focused on his role in the violent attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

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.

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.

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

Vivek Ramaswamy

The anti-environment activist, investor and businessman said he would enter the race in February.

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

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 saw his business partnerships disintegrate after he made a series of anti-Semitic comments.

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

Mike Pence

The former vice president has reportedly been considering a run for the presidency, but has remained quiet about any official declaration.

In October, he declined to say if he would support Mr Trump's bid.

Ron DeSantis

The Florida governor is increasingly being seen as a serious challenger to Mr Trump, occasionally polling high against the former president in recent months.

Mr DeSantis is probably best known for his hardline stance on illegal immigration and his campaign against “wokeness”, which has garnered national attention.

Tim Scott

Currently a senator for South Carolina, Mr Scott is attending a presidential forum in the state — along with Ms Haley — and reportedly exploring voter support.

He is the only black Republican in the Senate.

John Bolton

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

Mr Bolton described Mr Trump as “juvenile”, and such is his disdain for his former boss that he is weighing 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 last month.

Updated: February 24, 2023, 6:49 PM