The upcoming United States general election is scheduled for November 5, 2024. Prior to the main election, there will be Democratic and Republican presidential nominating contests taking place in early 2024. These contests will serve the purpose of selecting delegates who will later participate in their respective parties' nominating conventions. The Republican convention is set for July, while the Democratic convention will occur in August, and it is during these events that the official presidential candidates for each party will be chosen.
The electoral process kicks off with the Iowa Republican caucus on January 15, followed by the New Hampshire primary for both the Democratic and Republican parties on January 23. Throughout February, there will be several other contests leading up to the significant "Super Tuesday" on March 5.
U.S. President Joe Biden, 81, is seeking another term in the White House, and with former U.S. President Donald Trump's hat also in the ring, a 2020 rematch is a real possibility. Democrats are expected to fall firmly behind Biden, and Trump has held a stubborn lead in polls on the Republican side.
Biden currently holds the record for being the oldest U.S. president in history. As he seeks reelection, there are concerns about his age and approval ratings, which he will need to address to convince voters that he has the stamina for another four years in office.
Biden's supporters argue that he is the strongest Democratic candidate capable of defeating Trump, with recent polls showing him at a 35% level of support, on par with Trump. He has emphasized the importance of defending American democracy, particularly in light of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters, and he has chosen Vice President Kamala Harris as his running mate once again.
The state of the economy will play a significant role in his re-election campaign. While the U.S. avoided an expected recession and has seen faster-than-expected growth, high inflation rates in 2022 and rising costs of food and gas are weighing on voters' minds.
Biden has taken a prominent role on the international stage, leading Western governments' response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine by rallying allies to impose sanctions on Moscow and support Kyiv. He has also expressed support for Israel in its conflict with Hamas militants in Gaza. However, some within his own party have criticized him for not endorsing calls for a ceasefire in the Palestinian territory, where Gaza has experienced significant casualties, damage to infrastructure, and shortages of essential supplies.
Domestically, Biden has passed substantial economic stimulus and infrastructure spending packages aimed at boosting U.S. industrial output, though he has received limited recognition from voters for the latter. Additionally, his handling of immigration policy has drawn criticism from both Republicans and Democrats, especially as migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border reached record highs during his administration.
Marianne Williamson and Dean Philips are two Democrats running against Biden, but they are not seen as serious contenders.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr, Cornel West, and Jill Stein are running as independents, and while Kennedy Jr. may pull some votes away from Biden, the others are seen as less likely to gain any significant traction.
On the Democratic side, no prominent Democrat has challenged Biden who has 65.8% nationally with Marianne Williamson polling 7.6% and Dean Phillips 5.4%.
On the Republican side, Trump, 77, is still seen as the leading candidate. But with mounting legal troubles, and several high-profile candidates aiming to unseat him, Trump is not yet a guaranteed winner.
During a Town Hall event on Fox News in Iowa last week, former US president Donald Trump said he has already decided who he wants to be his running mate in the 2024 presidential election.
Trump's supporters want to see a focus on the cost of living, preventing illegal immigration, and strengthening America's perceived weak foreign policy. They will also want to see weakened progressive policies that have played an outsized role in recent years.
Florida Governor Ron Desantis, 45, perhaps Trump's greatest threat, has positioned himself to the right of Trump on several key social issues such as abortion, but his campaign has struggled to gain traction and, alongside the other candidates, remains far behind the former president in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll with only 11%.
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