2024 RNC PRIMARY DEBATE CANDIDATES
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NIKKI HALEY
2024 President Candidate
Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina who served as ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration, was the first candidate to challenge her former boss for the Republican nomination. Haley has been critical of Trump and called for new leadership within the GOP. Haley has not stated whether she will support the party’s eventual nominee.
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LARRY ELDER
2024 President Candidate
Larry Elder is a conservative radio host who entered the political arena for the first time in 2021 when he ran unsuccessfully in the California gubernatiorial recall election to remove Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. Elder has used his platform to discuss his opposition to abortion rights, mask mandates and the Black Lives Matter movement, among other issues. Elder has not been clear about whether he would support the eventual nominee, but has been critical of Trump and has voiced concerns about the former president’s ability to appeal to swing voters.
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RON DESANTIS
2024 President Candidate
Ron DeSantis gained national attention and praise from the right for his pandemic response, along with his approach to issues such as immigration and LGBTQ+ rights. DeSantis has been reluctant to directly target Trump and has not said whether he would support him as the eventual nominee, instead focusing on criticisms of the Biden administration’s policies and tacking to Trump’s right on issues.
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VIVEK RAMISWANY
2024 President Candidate
Vivek Ramaswamy is an entrepreneur and a conservative commentator who has cast himself as the “true outsider” seeking the GOP nomination. His campaign has been largely self-funded. Ramaswamy has said that he plans to take Trump’s agenda even further.
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ASA HUTCHINSON
2024 President Candidate
Asa Hutchinson, the former governor of Arkansas, has been critical of both the Biden and Trump administrations. He has said that another Trump presidential nomination would be the "worst case scenario" for Republicans and called on Trump to "step aside" after the former president was indicted in New York.
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CHRIS CHRISTIE
2024 President Candidate
Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, ran unsuccessfully against Trump for the GOP nomination in 2016. A Trump critic, turned ally, turned critic again, Christie has said he won't support Trump as the nominee. “I am the viable Trump alternative,” he told The Daily Beast in late April.
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MIKE PENCE
2024 President Candidate
Prior to joining Trump’s 2016 ticket, Pence served six terms in Congress and one term as governor of Indiana. As governor, Pence enacted legislation restricting abortion access as well as a controversial religious freedom law that LGBTQ rights advocates said was a license to discriminate. He said in an interview with Fox News that he will support the eventual nominee.
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PERRY JOHNSON
2024 President Candidate
Businessman Perry Johnson has never held public office, but tried to enter the Michigan Gubernatorial Race in 2022. He was disqualified after failing to submit enough valid petition signatures. Johnson, who says he proudly supported Trump and would support him should he win the party’s nomination again, has built his career in quality standards — writing a number of texts on the guidelines and specifications for ensuring products or services meet customer and regulatory prerequisites.
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TIM SCOTT
2024 President Candidate
Tim Scott, who hails from the key early primary state of South Carolina, is the only black Republican in the Senate. Scott has said that the GOP needs a candidate who can appeal to both Republicans and “people who don’t agree with us.” Scott has been critical of the Biden administration, saying that the U.S. has become "a nation in retreat"
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DOUG BURGUM
2024 President Candidate
Doug Burgum, the two-term governor of North Dakota, began his career as a software entrepreneur and sold a company to Microsoft in 2001. As governor, he has restricted abortion access and has limited transgender healthcare for minors. Burgum, who said he plans to spend some his own fortune on his run, has not clarified his opinion on Trump or whether he would support him as the eventual nominee.