The 2024 United States presidential election will be the 60th quadrennial

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The p ...

, scheduled for Tuesday, November 5, 2024. It will be the first presidential election after electoral votes were redistributed during the 2020 census

reapportionment Apportionment is the process by which seats in a legislative body are distributed among administrative divisions, such as states or parties, entitled to representation. This page presents the general principles and issues related to apportionme ...

cycle. The incumbent, President Joe Biden stated in January 2022 his intent to run for reelection, with Vice President

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who is the 49th vice president of the United States. She is the first female vice president and the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, as well ...

as his running mate. As of , Biden has not yet committed to a reelection campaign. After repeatedly suggesting he would run, former president

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

announced his candidacy for president for a second, nonconsecutive term on November 15, 2022. In the United States, general elections follow

caucus A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to a meeting ...

es and

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

s held by the major parties to determine their nominees. The winner of the 2024 presidential election is scheduled to be

inaugurated In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inaugur ...

on January 20, 2025.

Background

Procedure

Article Two of the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...

states that for a person to serve as president, the individual must be a

natural-born citizen of the United States A natural-born-citizen clause, if present in the constitution of a country, requires that its president or vice president be a natural born citizen. The constitutions of a number of countries contain such a clause, but there is no universally ac ...

, be at least 35 years old, and have been a United States resident for at least 14 years. Candidates for the presidency typically seek the nomination of one of the various political parties of the United States, which is awarded through a process such as a

. The primary elections are usually

indirect election An indirect election or ''hierarchical voting'' is an election in which voters do not choose directly among candidates or parties for an office (direct voting system), but elect people who in turn choose candidates or parties. It is one of the old ...

s where voters cast ballots for a slate of party delegates pledged to a particular candidate. The party's delegates then officially nominate a candidate to run on the party's behalf. The presidential nominee typically chooses a vice presidential

running mate A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position (such as the vice presidential candidate running with a p ...

to form that party's ticket, which is then ratified by the delegates at the party's convention. Similarly, the general election in November is also an indirect election, in which voters cast ballots for a slate of members of the Electoral College; these electors then directly elect the president and vice president. If no candidate receives the minimum 270 electoral votes needed to win the election, a

contingent election In the United States, a contingent election is used to elect the president or vice president if no candidate receives a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed. A presidential contingent election is decided by a special vote of th ...

will be held in which the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

will select the president from the three candidates who received the most electoral votes (this last happened in 1825), and the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

will select the vice president from the candidates who received the two highest totals (this last happened in 1837). The presidential election will occur simultaneously with House of Representatives elections, Senate elections, and various state and local-level elections.

Effects of the 2020 census

The election has been the subject of attention by analysts and commentators, as it will be the first U.S. presidential election to occur after the

of votes in the

United States Electoral College The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia a ...

, which will follow the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...

. This realignment of electoral college votes will remain through the 2028 election. Reapportionment will be conducted again after the 2030 United States census.

Candidate eligibility

Section 1 of

Article Two of the United States Constitution Article Two of the United States Constitution establishes the executive branch of the federal government, which carries out and enforces federal laws. Article Two vests the power of the executive branch in the office of the president of the Unite ...

specifies that the president must be at least 35 years of age, a natural-born US citizen, and been a resident of the US for 14 years. The

Twenty-second Amendment The Twenty-second Amendment (Amendment XXII) to the United States Constitution limits the number of times a person is eligible for election to the office of President of the United States to two, and sets additional eligibility conditions for ...

forbids any former presidents from being elected president more than twice. Both incumbent president Biden and former president

are eligible to seek a second term. If Trump is elected, he would become the first president since

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

1892 Events January–March * January 1 – Ellis Island begins accommodating immigrants to the United States. * February 1 - The historic Enterprise Bar and Grill was established in Rico, Colorado. * February 27 – Rudolf Diesel applies fo ...

to win a second non-consecutive term.

Potential campaign issues

Economy

As of October 17, 2022, a

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

/ Sienna College poll shows Americans are most concerned about the state of the economy and the rate of inflation, and 49% of likely voters intend to vote for Republicans and 45% for Democrats in the 2022 congressional elections. The percentage of voters who consider the economy the most important issue increased to 44%, from 36% in July.

COVID-19 pandemic

The

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

left behind significant economic effects which could persist into the 2024 presidential election. The high visibility

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

s received during their responses to the pandemic has been viewed as having given them a boost in possible 2024 contention, in contrast to the significant advantage senators have had in recent cycles.

Abortion

The''

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ''Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization'', , is a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the court held that the Constitution of the United States does not confer a right to abortion. The court's decision overruled both ''Ro ...

'' decision in June 2022, which overturned the 1973''

Roe v. Wade ''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States conferred the right to have an abortion. The decision struck down many federal and st ...

'' decision and permitted U.S. states to fully ban

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...

for the first time in nearly 50 years, has made abortion a more significant issue. In the 2024 election, the topic of abortion is expected to play a role in the Republican primary. Potential candidates are divided on the matter, with former Vice President

Mike Pence Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 50th ...

supporting a nationwide ban on abortion, whereas other potential candidates have struck a less aggressive tone and suggested that the matter should remain the decision of state governments.

Crime

As of December 2022, rising criminal activity and

gun violence Gun-related violence is violence committed with the use of a firearm. Gun-related violence may or may not be considered criminal. Criminal violence includes homicide (except when and where ruled justifiable), assault with a deadly weapon, and ...

has put a stress on communities, law enforcement and political parties. The 2024 field is projected to respond to rising crime rates differently on partisan lines. President Biden has advocated for an assault weapons ban, as well as federal funding to train and deploy more police.

Election process

Donald Trump did not concede defeat to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, citing unsubstantiated claims of

voter fraud Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share of ...

. Republican officials in the Trump administration and in Congress have supported attempts to overturn the election. Trump continues to deny the results of the election . Both Biden and Trump have indicated that they intend to run for president in 2024, suggesting a potential rematch of the 2020 election, which would be the first rematch since the 1956 election. Concerns have been raised by election security experts that officials who deny the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election may attempt to impede the voting process or refuse to certify election results. In the

2022 United States elections The 2022 United States elections were held on November 8, 2022, with the exception of absentee balloting. During this U.S. midterm election, which occurred during the first term of incumbent president Joe Biden of the Democratic Party, all 4 ...

, the majority of Republican candidates in five battleground states falsely claimed or implied that the 2020 presidential election was illegitimate. Election legitimacy was a major political issue during the 2022 elections, and it is credited for unexpectedly strong Democratic performance that year. According to the

, by November 9, nearly 200 'election deniers' had been elected to office. In August 2022,

Ali Alexander Ali Alexander (born Ali Abdul-Razaq Akbar in ) is an American far-right activist, social media personality, and conspiracy theorist. Alexander is an organizer of Stop the Steal, a campaign to promote the conspiracy theory that widespread vot ...

, who organized one of the many rallies preceding the

January 6 United States Capitol attack On January 6, 2021, following the defeat of then- U.S. President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, a mob of his supporters attacked the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. The mob was seeking to keep Trump in p ...

, stated that he would be returning to the Capitol building in 2025 'for whatever the Congress certifies.'

Democratic Party

Incumbent president Joe Biden has consistently stated that he plans to run for re-election and keep vice president

as his running mate. However, he has yet to officially declare his candidacy. During late 2021, as Biden was suffering from low approval ratings, there was speculation that he would not seek re-election, and some prominent Democrats have publicly urged Biden not to run. In addition to Biden's unpopularity, many are concerned about his age; he was the oldest person to assume the office at age 78 and would be 82 at the end of his first term. If re-elected, he would be 86 at the end of his second term. There has also been speculation that Biden may face a primary challenge from a member of the Democratic Party's progressive faction. However, Biden's approval rating slowly recovered throughout 2022, climbing from the low 30s to the high 40s. Additionally, after Democrats outperformed expectations in the

2022 midterm elections The 2022 United States elections were held on November 8, 2022, with the exception of absentee balloting. During this U.S. midterm election, which occurred during the first term of incumbent president Joe Biden of the Democratic Party, all 4 ...

, many believed the chances that Biden would run for and win his party's nomination had increased. If Biden is not the nominee in 2024, it will be the first election since

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * J ...

in which an eligible incumbent president was not the eventual nominee of their party after

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

, and if he chooses not to seek re-election, it will be the first election since

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhano ...

in which an eligible incumbent president did not seek re-election after

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a Republican lawyer from New England who climbed up the ladder of Ma ...

Republican Party

was defeated by Biden in 2020 and is currently eligible to run again in 2024. Currently he is seeking to become the second president to serve two non-consecutive terms, after only

(who did so by winning the

1892 United States presidential election The 1892 United States presidential election was the 27th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 1892. In a rematch of the closely contested 1888 presidential election, former Democratic President Grover Cleveland defeat ...

). and is now considered an early frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination after his 2024 announcement on November 15, 2022. However, there are multiple factors working against Trump: the

hearings In law, a hearing is a proceeding before a court or other decision-making body or officer, such as a government agency or a legislative committee. Description A hearing is generally distinguished from a trial in that it is usually shorter and ...

held by the

United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack The United States House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol (the January 6th Committee) is a bipartisan select committee of the U.S. House of Representatives established to investigate the U.S. ...

have damaged public opinion towards him, Florida

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Ron DeSantis Ronald Dion DeSantis (; born September 14, 1978) is an American politician serving as the 46th governor of Florida since January 2019. A member of the Republican Party, DeSantis represented Florida's 6th district in the U.S. House of Repres ...

raised more campaign funds in the first half of 2022, and in 2022 the FBI searched Trump's estate at Mar-a-Lago. Trump announced in March 2022 that if he runs for re-election and wins the Republican presidential nomination, his former vice president

will not be his running mate. If Trump runs against President Biden again, it will be the first presidential rematch since 1956 after Dwight D. Eisenhower successfully ran for reelection against

Adlai Stevenson II Adlai Ewing Stevenson II (; February 5, 1900 – July 14, 1965) was an American politician and diplomat who was twice the Democratic nominee for President of the United States. He was the grandson of Adlai Stevenson I, the 23rd vice president o ...

; and if Trump wins, he will be the first person to lose a presidential election and then win a rematch of that election since

in 1892. The last president to run after leaving office was

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

, who chose not to run in 1908 before coming in second in 1912 as the presidential nominee of the

Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to: Active parties * Progressive Party, Brazil * Progressive Party (Chile) * Progressive Party of Working People, Cyprus * Dominica Progressive Party * Progressive Party (Iceland) * Progressive Party (Sardinia), Ita ...

, although

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gre ...

briefly sought the Republican presidential nomination at several national conventions subsequent to leaving office in 1933. Trump filed a statement of candidacy with the

Federal Election Commission The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent regulatory agency of the United States whose purpose is to enforce campaign finance law in United States federal elections. Created in 1974 through amendments to the Federal Election Cam ...

on November 15, 2022, and announced his candidacy in a speech at

Mar-a-Lago Mar-a-Lago ( from the Spanish for ''sea to lake'') is a resort and national historic landmark in Palm Beach, Florida, owned by former U.S. president Donald Trump. Trump acquired Mar-a-Lago in 1985 and referred to it as his "Winter White House ...

the same day.

Declared candidates

Libertarian Party

Declared

the following individuals have declared their intent to run for president. * Mike ter Maat, economist, police officer for the

Hallandale Beach Police Department The Hallandale Beach Police Department is the law enforcement agency of Hallandale Beach, Florida. Its headquarters is located in a municipal building at 400 South Federal Highway, Hallandale Beach, FL 33009. In 2022, the chief of police is Miche ...

, and nominee for FL-20 in

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

Formed exploratory committee

the following individuals have announced exploratory committees to look into running for president within the previous six months. *

Chase Oliver Chase Oliver (born 1985) is an American political activist, sales account executive, and HR representative. Oliver was the Libertarian Party nominee for the 2022 United States Senate election in Georgia, and the Libertarian Party nominee for t ...

, chair of the Atlanta Libertarian Party and nominee for U.S. Senate in Georgia in

Independents, other third parties, or party unknown

Candidates

Declared intent to run

the following individuals have declared their intent to run for president. *

Afroman Joseph Edgar Foreman (born July 28, 1974), better known by his stage name Afroman, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, comedian and musician. He is best known for his songs " Because I Got High", released in 2000, and " Crazy Rap", which ...

, rapper *

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

, rapper and candidate for president in 2020

Potential candidates

Tulsi Gabbard Tulsi Gabbard (; born April 12, 1981) is an American politician, United States Army Reserve officer and political commentator who served as the U.S. representative for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district from 2013 to 2021. Gabbard was the fi ...

, former

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Hawaii's 2nd congressional district Hawaii's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It is currently represented by Kai Kahele, who succeeded Tulsi Gabbard following the 2020 election. The district encompasses all rural and most suburba ...

(2013–2021) and Democratic candidate for president in 2020

Declined to be candidates

Mark Cuban Mark Cuban (born July 31, 1958) is an American billionaire entrepreneur, television personality, and media proprietor whose net worth is an estimated $4.8 billion, according to ''Forbes'', and ranked No. 177 on the 2020 ''Forbes'' 400 list ...

, investor and entrepreneur *

Dwayne Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the develop ...

, actor and businessman *

Kyrsten Sinema Kyrsten Lea Sinema (; born July 12, 1976) is an American politician and former social worker serving as the senior United States senator from Arizona since January 2019. A former member of the Democratic Party, Sinema became an independent i ...

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

from

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

(2019–present),

from AZ-09 (2013–2019), Member of the

Arizona Senate The Arizona State Senate is part of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Arizona. The Senate consists of 30 members each representing an average of 219,859 constituents (2009 figures). Members serve two-year terms ...

(2011–2012), Member of the

Arizona House of Representatives The Arizona State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. The upper house is the Senate. The House convenes in the legislative chambers at the Arizona State C ...

(2005–2011)

Vice presidential speculation

Rapper

has claimed on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

that he has talked with Trump about being his running mate for 2024. West has not said if Trump has accepted or declined his offer, and Trump has not responded to these claims from West.

General election opinion polling

;Biden vs. Trump ; Aggregate polls ;Biden vs. Trump vs. Andrew Yang ;Biden vs. Trump vs. Matthew McConaughey ;Biden vs. Trump with Liz Cheney as an independent ;Biden vs. Ron DeSantis ; Aggregate polls ;Biden vs. DeSantis with Trump as an independent ;Biden vs. Ted Cruz ; Biden vs. Nikki Haley ;Biden vs. Mitt Romney ;Biden vs. Mike Pence ;Biden vs. Liz Cheney ;Biden vs. Chris Christie ;Biden vs. Tom Cotton ;Biden vs. Josh Hawley ;Biden vs. Larry Hogan ;Biden vs. Kristi Noem ;Biden vs. Mike Pompeo ;Biden vs. Marco Rubio ;Biden vs. Rick Scott ;Biden vs. Tim Scott ;Biden vs. generic Republican ;Kamala Harris vs. Donald Trump ;Kamala Harris vs. Ron DeSantis ;Kamala Harris vs. Mike Pence ;Kamala Harris vs. Mike Pompeo ;Kamala Harris vs. Tim Scott ;Pete Buttigieg vs. Donald Trump ;Hillary Clinton vs. Donald Trump ;Bernie Sanders vs. Donald Trump ;Phil Murphy vs. Donald Trump ;Gavin Newsom vs. Donald Trump ;Gavin Newsom vs. Ron DeSantis ;Jerome Segal vs. Donald Trump ;Mark Cuban vs. Elon Musk

Timeline

Notes

References

{{Authority control

United States presidential election, 2024 The 2024 United States presidential election will be the 60th quadrennial presidential election, scheduled for Tuesday, November 5, 2024. It will be the first presidential election after electoral votes were redistributed during the 2020 ce ...