2024 Republican Party presidential primaries

2024 Republican Party presidential primaries
Presidential primaries and caucuses are being organized by state Republican parties and legislatures to select their delegates to the 2024 Republican National Convention, to determine the party's nominee for president in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. The elections will take place individually in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories, between January and June 2024. The 2024 Republican National Convention is scheduled to be held in July at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Former Montana Secretary of State Corey Stapleton entered the race on November 11, 2022, three days after the 2022 midterm elections and two years ahead of the 2024 election (he had earlier formed an exploratory committee on March 10, 2022). Former President Donald Trump initiated his run for president on November 15. Former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley became the first to follow their entrance on February 14, followed by wealth management executive Vivek Ramaswamy one week later, businessman Perry Johnson on March 2, former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson on April 6, radio host Larry Elder on April 20, businessman Ryan Binkley on April 23, U.S. Senator Tim Scott on May 19, Florida governor Ron DeSantis on May 24, former Vice President Mike Pence on June 5, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie on June 6, North Dakota governor Doug Burgum on June 7, Miami mayor Francis Suarez on June 14, and former U.S. Representative Will Hurd on June 22. Suarez dropped out of the race in August, with Hurd, Stapleton, Johnson, Elder, and Pence following in October.
Trump is considered the frontrunner and has maintained a consistent lead in primary polling since 2020. Some Republicans have expressed concerns about his nomination due to his loss in 2020, his ongoing criminal investigations, and the results of the 2022 midterms in which several Trump-endorsed candidates lost key races and cost the party a widely anticipated red wave. However, many others have supported him and decried the investigations as politically motivated. Among non-Trump candidates, DeSantis initially polled in a close second behind Trump, but his polling numbers fell significantly in 2023, bringing him closer to the other candidates. Ramaswamy experienced a surge in polling during the same time period, and he has begun to outpace DeSantis in some polls. However, Trump remains far ahead. The Republican primary has been called a "race for second" due to Trump's consistent and prohibitive lead in polling.
Trump is the first president to run after leaving office since Herbert Hoover in 1940; if he wins the Republican nomination, he will be the first Republican to be nominated for president three separate times since Richard Nixon (Republican nominee in 1960, 1968, and 1972), and the first person to be the Republican presidential nominee in three consecutive elections. If he wins the general election, he will be the first president to serve non-consecutive terms since Grover Cleveland, who won his second term in 1892. Meanwhile, Pence's candidacy made him the first vice president to run against the president under whom they served since John Nance Garner in 1940, while Burgum is the first person born in North Dakota to run for a major party's presidential nomination.
Candidates
As of November 2023, more than 300 candidates have filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to run for the Republican nomination in 2024. In previous cycles, the majority of these candidates did not appear on any ballots, raise money, or otherwise attempt to formally run a campaign.
Declared major candidates
The candidates in this section have declared their candidacies and meet one or more of the following criteria:
their campaign has received substantial major media coverage.
the candidate is a current or previous holder of a significant elected office (such as president, vice president, governor, U.S. senator, U.S. representative).
the candidate has been included in at least five national polls.
Other declared candidates
The candidates in this section are otherwise notable, but have not met the criteria outlined above.
John Anthony Castro, tax consultant and perennial candidate
E. W. Jackson, pastor and nominee for lieutenant governor of Virginia in 2013
Withdrew before the primaries
The candidates in this section have suspended their campaigns, or have otherwise ceased campaigning and ended their bids for the nomination before any primary contests were held.
Other notable individuals who were not considered major candidates and who withdrew from the race before the beginning of the primary season include:
Steve Laffey, mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island (2003–2007)
Publicly expressed interest
, the following notable individuals have expressed an interest in running for president within the previous six months.
John Bolton, 27th United States National Security Advisor (2018–2019), 25th United States Ambassador to the United Nations (2005–2006), 3rd Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs (2001–2005), 18th Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs (1989–1993), U.S. Assistant Attorney General (1985–1989)
Larry Hogan, 62nd Governor of Maryland (2015–2023), Maryland Secretary of Appointments (2003–2007)
Rick Perry, 14th United States Secretary of Energy (2017–2019), 47th Governor of Texas (2000–2015), 39th Lieutenant Governor of Texas (1999–2000), 9th Agriculture Commissioner of Texas (1991–1999), Member of the Texas House of Representatives (1985–1991)
Potential candidates
, there has been speculation about the potential candidacy of the following notable individuals within the previous six months.
Glenn Youngkin, 74th Governor of Virginia (2022–present) (will only consider after the 2023 Virginia elections)
Declined to be candidates
The following notable individuals have been the subject of speculation about their possible candidacy but have publicly denied interest in running.
Marsha Blackburn, U.S. Senator from Tennessee (2019–present), United States Representative from (2003–2019), member of the Tennessee Senate from the 23rd district (1999–2003) (endorsed Trump, running for re-election)
Tucker Carlson, host of Tucker Carlson Tonight (2016–2023) and co-founder of The Daily Caller
Liz Cheney, United States Representative from (2017–2023), Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs (2002–2004, 2005–2009) (considering independent run)
Chad Connelly, CEO of Faith Wins and Chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party (2011-2013)
Tom Cotton, U.S. Senator from Arkansas (2015–present), United States Representative from (2013–2015)
Dan Crenshaw, United States Representative from (2019–present)
Ted Cruz, U.S. Senator from Texas (2013–present), 3rd Texas Solicitor General (2003–2008), candidate for president in 2016 (running for re-election)
Joni Ernst, U.S. Senator from Iowa (2015–present), member of the Iowa Senate from the 12th district (2011–2014), Montgomery County Auditor (2005–2011)
Josh Hawley, U.S. Senator from Missouri (2019–present), 42nd Missouri Attorney General (2017–2019) (running for re-election)
Brian Kemp, 83rd Governor of Georgia (2019–present), 27th Georgia Secretary of State (2010–2018), member of the Georgia Senate from the 46th district (2003–2007)
Adam Kinzinger, United States Representative from (2011–2023)
Pat McCrory, 74th Governor of North Carolina (2013–2017) and 53rd Mayor of Charlotte (1995–2009)
Kristi Noem, 33rd Governor of South Dakota (2019–present), United States Representative from (2011–2019) (endorsed Trump)
Dan Patrick, 42nd Lieutenant Governor of Texas (2015–present), member of the Texas Senate from the 7th district (2007–2015) (endorsed Trump)
Rand Paul, U.S. Senator from Kentucky (2011–present), candidate for president in 2016
Mike Pompeo, 70th United States Secretary of State (2018–2021), 6th Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (2017–2018), United States Representative from (2011–2017)
Mike Rogers, United States Representative from (2001–2015), Michigan State Senator from District 26 (1995–2001) (running for U.S. Senate)
Mitt Romney, U.S. Senator from Utah (2019–present), 70th Governor of Massachusetts (2003–2007), nominee for president in 2012 and candidate in 2008
Marco Rubio, U.S. Senator from Florida (2011–present), 94th Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives (2006–2008) from the 111th district (2000–2008), member of the West Miami City Commission (1998–2000), candidate for president in 2016
Paul Ryan, 54th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (2015–2019) from WI-01 (1999–2019) and nominee for vice president in 2012
Rick Scott, U.S. Senator from Florida (2019–present), 45th Governor of Florida (2011–2019) (running for re-election)
Chris Sununu, 82nd Governor of New Hampshire (2017–present), member of the New Hampshire Executive Council (2011–2017)
Donald Trump Jr., businessman, executive vice president of The Trump Organization, son of former president Donald Trump
Ivanka Trump, Senior Advisor to the President of the United States (2017–2021), daughter of former president Donald Trump
Scott Walker, 45th Governor of Wisconsin (2011–2019), 5th Milwaukee County Executive (2002–2010), member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 14th district (1993–2002), candidate for president in 2016
Timeline
2021
December 2021
On December 2, perennial candidate John Anthony Castro announced his campaign for the presidency in a tweet and said that he'd sue Donald Trump to have him judicially declared ineligible for public office.
2022
March 2022
On March 10, 2022, former Montana Secretary of State Corey Stapleton announced he was forming an exploratory committee for the Republican nomination in 2024.
November 2022
Three days after the 2022 midterm elections, Stapleton confirmed his candidacy for the presidency in 2024.
A week after the 2022 midterm elections, at Mar-a-Lago, former president Donald Trump announced that he would run again for the presidency in 2024. If elected, he would become the only president other than Grover Cleveland to serve two non-consecutive terms.
2023
February 2023
On February 2, former Cranston, Rhode Island mayor Steve Laffey announced he was entering the race in a video statement.
On February 14, former South Carolina governor and former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley released a video announcing her presidential candidacy.
On February 21, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy announced his presidential candidacy on Tucker Carlson Tonight.
March 2023
On March 2, businessman Perry Johnson, a Michigan gubernatorial candidate in 2022, who had been deemed ineligible to appear on the primary ballot by the Board of State Canvassers due to alleged fraudulent signatures, announced his intent to run for president of the United States.
April 2023
On April 1, businessman and pastor Ryan Binkley filed to run with the Federal Election Commission.
On April 2, former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson announced his candidacy during an interview with ABC News' Jonathan Karl.
On April 6, Hutchinson filed his run with the Federal Election Commission.
On April 12, the junior U.S. Senator from South Carolina Tim Scott announced an exploratory committee to run for president.
On April 20, former California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder announced his campaign on Tucker Carlson Tonight.
On April 23, Binkley announced his presidential campaign at the University of Texas at Dallas campus.
May 2023
On May 19, Tim Scott submitted FEC paperwork to run; he announced his presidential run publicly on May 22.
On May 24, Florida governor and former U.S. representative Ron DeSantis submitted his FEC paperwork to run, and announced that he was running for president during a Twitter Spaces interview with Twitter owner Elon Musk.
June 2023
On June 5, former Vice President Mike Pence filed paperwork to run for president and North Dakota governor Doug Burgum released a campaign video.
On June 6, Burgum published an announcement opinion-editorial piece announcing his presidential run in the Wall Street Journal, making him the first person born in North Dakota to seek a major party's president nomination. The same day, former New Jersey governor and 2016 presidential candidate Chris Christie publicly announced a presidential campaign in New Hampshire.
On June 7, Pence publicly announced his bid with a campaign video. Also, Burgum delivered a public announcement speech in Fargo.
On June 14, Miami mayor Francis Suarez filed his run with the Federal Election Commission. He delivered a speech the next day at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library to publicly announce his campaign, as four other Republicans in the race had done in the last year.
On June 22, former CIA agent and representative of Texas Will Hurd launched a run, after previously expressing interest in launching a presidential bid.
July 2023
On July 14, pastor E.W. Jackson announced his candidacy.
August 2023
On August 1, Donald Trump was indicted a third time for trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
On August 14, Donald Trump was indicted a fourth time for trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state of Georgia.
Trump said he would not attend the first debate, and instead planned a show with Tucker Carlson during the same time slot.
On August 21, the slate of candidates that officially qualified for the debate was released: Doug Burgum, Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Asa Hutchinson, Mike Pence, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Tim Scott.
On August 23, the first Republican candidates debate took place in Milwaukee, broadcast by Fox News and moderated by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. To be eligible for this debate, a candidate must have polled at least one percent, received donations from 40,000 individuals, and signed a loyalty pledge to back whoever ultimately wins the party presidential nomination. Candidates deemed eligible for the debate were Doug Burgum, Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Asa Hutchinson, Mike Pence, Vivek Ramaswamy and Tim Scott. Trump did not participate in the debate, instead filming an interview with Tucker Carlson that was released minutes before the debate was scheduled to begin.
On August 29, Francis Suarez suspended his presidential campaign, becoming the first candidate to do so.
September 2023
On September 18, Donald Trump's campaign announced that he would be giving a speech in Detroit, Michigan to striking United Auto Workers union members at the same time as the second debate in California. However, United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain pointed out that Trump's speech was being held at a non-union plant whose workers were not connected to the strike.
On September 20, a senior advisor to the Trump campaign told Bloomberg that Trump plans to skip the third debate in Miami.
On September 26, the slate of candidates that qualified and would attend are: Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Vivek Ramaswamy, Mike Pence, Chris Christie and Doug Burgum. Asa Hutchinson, who appeared for the first debate, did not qualify.
On September 27, the second Republican presidential debate took place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. The requirements to attend the debate were to be polling at three percent in at least three reputable national polls, while the donor requirement increases to 50,000 unique donations.
October 2023
On October 2, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to hear John Anthony Castro's case to disqualify Donald Trump from appearing on the ballot.
On October 6, former Cranston, Rhode Island mayor Steve Laffey dropped out of the race.
On October 9, former Representative Will Hurd withdrew from the race.
On October 13, former Montana Secretary of State Corey Stapleton dropped out of the race.
On October 20, businessman Perry Johnson suspended his campaign.
On October 26, former talk radio show host Larry Elder suspended his campaign and endorsed Trump.
On October 28, former Vice President of the United States Mike Pence suspended his campaign.
November 2023
On November 8, the third Republican presidential debate will take place in Miami, Florida.
2024
January 2024
On January 15, the first election of the cycle takes place with the 2024 Iowa Republican presidential caucuses.
Overview
Debates
The first Republican debate was held on August 23, hosted by Fox News and moderated by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. To be eligible for the debate, a candidate must have polled with at least 1% of voter support, received donations from 40,000 individuals, and signed a loyalty pledge to back whoever ultimately wins the party presidential nomination. Doug Burgum, Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Asa Hutchinson, Mike Pence, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Tim Scott all qualified for the first debate. Donald Trump gave an interview with Tucker Carlson during the same time slot.
The second Republican debate was held on September 27, in Simi Valley, California, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The requirements were similar to the first debate, but increased the number of individual donors required to 50,000 and required the candidates to poll at or above three percent in two national polls or in one national poll and two "early state" polls. Seven candidates were invited to the second debate: Burgum, Christie, DeSantis, Haley, Pence, Ramaswamy, and Scott.
The third debate will take in place in Miami, Florida, on November 8. The donor threshold for the third debate increases to 70,000 unique donors, including 200 donors in 20 or more states, while the polling threshold increases to four percent in two national polls or four percent in one national poll and four percent in two statewide polls in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, or South Carolina.
Endorsements
Opinion polling
Campaign finance
This is an overview of the money used by each campaign as it is reported to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Totals raised include individual contributions, loans from the candidate, and transfers from other campaign committees. Individual contributions are itemized (catalogued) by the FEC when the total value of contributions by an individual comes to more than $200. The last column, Cash On Hand, shows the remaining cash each campaign had available for its future spending as of September 30, 2023. Campaign finance reports for the fourth quarter of 2023 will become available on January 15, 2024.
This table does not include contributions made to Super PACs or party committees supporting the candidate. Each value is rounded up to the nearest dollar.
Primaries and caucus calendar
Timing
GOP rules mandate that changes to all contest dates must occur by September 2023, and there appears to be a trend of contests being scheduled earlier than usual. They also specify that all must occur between March and June 11, 2024 – except for Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina – which are allowed to hold contests in February. Iowa, however, chose to hold its caucus the earliest in over a decade, on a federal holiday – January 15 – as the rules are not legally binding. New Hampshire is expected in late January, a result of state law requiring it to be held at least a week prior to other primaries. Nevada is expected on February 6, with South Carolina on February 24 and Michigan on February 27. The bulk of contests will be concentrated in March, as in previous presidential primaries.
Nevada controversy
After the 2020 presidential election, the state of Nevada moved to establish a presidential primary for both parties. Previously, party-organized caucuses were used in Nevada to determine delegates in presidential elections.
In May 2023, the Nevada Republican Party sued the state of Nevada in an effort to continue the use of caucuses as the means to determine its delegate allocation. It was stated in a court filing from the Nevada Attorney General's office that the Nevada Republican Party was allowed to choose between a primary or caucus, since the primary is non-binding and because state law does not mandate specific rules governing how political parties are to choose its candidate for president.
On August 14, 2023, the Nevada Republican Party announced it would hold its caucuses on February 8 with the February 6 state primary being non-binding.
Michigan controversy
The Michigan primary will take place 2 weeks early, on February 27, 2024 – if its legislature adjourns as expected a month early by November 29, 2023. Michigan legislature laws not passed with a supermajority go into effect 90 days after the adjournment of its session.
The Michigan primaries were originally scheduled to be held in March and thus in accordance with Republican rules, but Democrats (who are in control of the Michigan legislature and governorship after the 2022 midterm elections) decided to move up both primaries as part of their own 2024 presidential delegate selection plan. As a result, the earlier date of February 27 violates Republican rules – which state that only Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina can vote earlier than March 1, 2024.
Michigan Republicans are facing a harsh penalty of up to 90% of their delegates being stripped, if they go forward with their earlier primary. Republicans in Michigan have criticized Democrats in Michigan for their unilateral move and are considering boycotting the earlier primary and instead are considering a party-run caucus later in March.
Delegates
There will be an estimated total of 2,467 delegates to the 2024 Republican National Convention. In contests until March 15, delegates must be awarded on a proportional basis, either by percentage of statewide vote or share of congressional districts won. However, some states have established thresholds between 4 and 20% for proportionality to kick in, under which a candidate receives no delegates. A vast majority, 41 contests totaling 1,920 delegates, operate this way using methods that are hybrid between proportionality and majority-take-all. New York for example has a 20% threshold for proportionality but if a candidate wins a majority, they take all delegates. North Dakota, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Virgin Islands, and 51 of Pennsylvania's 67 delegates are unpledged (free to vote for anyone at the convention), totaling 119. Florida, New Jersey, Ohio, Colorado, Arizona, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Montana's delegates are strictly awarded on a plurality-take-all basis, totaling 428. It will be possible for a candidate to take all 928 delegates of 19 contests by simply winning a threshold of votes. By Super Tuesday, over 40% of delegates will have been awarded, and most by March 19. GOP rules mandate changes to delegate allocation methods happen by September 30. The primaries will conclude with a final vote on the nominee by a majority of delegates at the newly elected Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, which will be held July 15–18.
Candidate filing deadlines
As of August 2023, at least 20 states have announced their filing deadlines for presidential candidates seeking the nomination of their party in order to appear on the state's ballots. Between September 1 and October 15, 2023, Nevada has the nation's first filing window and deadline for its February 8, 2024, presidential caucus. The filing window for the New Hampshire primary will be between October 11–27. 13 additional states, including populous California and Texas, have filing deadlines by December 22, 2023.
See also
2024 United States presidential election
2024 Republican National Convention
2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries
2024 Democratic National Convention
Notes
References
2023 in American politics
2024 United States presidential primaries
Political timelines of the 2020s by year