As we reach the final sprint for the White House, the 2024 Presidential Election is set to be one of the most pivotal and closely watched in history, with Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump as the major party candidates.
Trump wants to fulfill a second term after losing to President Biden in 2020. With Biden’s departure from the race in July, Democrats have thrown their support behind Harris, who would be the first woman to do so. If elected, she’d also be the first Black woman and South Asian American to hold the seat.
The presidential election features leaders with various political backgrounds. With issues like abortion, immigration, the economy and foreign policy at the top of most Americans’ minds, it’s more important than ever to hear from each political party’s respective candidate.
Here’s a look at the key contenders in the race.
Donald Trump, presidential candidate
Former President Donald John Trump launched his presidential bid in November 2022 with a promise to wipe out many of the policies enacted by his successor such as gun restrictions and legislation on human rights and climate change. Trump maintains his stance on immigration, vowing to crack down on border control and drug cartels much like he did during his administration.
Just as he did in 2016, Trump has also vowed to deconstruct sectors of the U.S. Government, such as the Department of Education limiting federal intervention and sending it back to the state level. Many of these changes are outlined in the conservative-led playbook known as Project 2025, though Trump denies his affiliation with the 900-page document.
If elected, Trump promises to replace the Affordable Care Act and reinstate a mandate that the U.S. Government pay the same price for pharmaceuticals as other developed nations. He maintains that abortion laws should be decided by the states. On the economy, Trump vowed to extend tax cuts from his 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and lower corporate tax rates.
At 78, Donald Trump is the oldest candidate to run for public office, replacing Biden, who is 81, after his exit from the race. Before entering the political arena, Trump was primarily known as a businessman and TV personality. Originally from Queens, New York, he received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1968.
J.D. Vance, vice presidential candidate
Ohio Senator James David “J.D.” Vance is Trump’s running mate. Vance is known as a venture capitalist and Marine veteran, having served four years and served a combat correspondent tour in Iraq in 2005. Prior to being added to the presidential ticket, Vance was critical of former President Trump and his policies.
Vance has slowly become a symbol for the Make America Great Again movement, taking on the slogan “Let’s Build America First.” During his Senate campaign, he sponsored legislation that would cut China out of U.S. capital markets if it did not follow international trade law. He’s also introduced legislation that would withhold federal funds for universities that employ undocumented immigrants and whose students protested the war in Gaza.
At 40, Vance is one of U.S. history’s youngest vice presidential candidates. Vance earned national attention after his memoir Hillbilly Elegy was published in 2016, outlining his blue-collar upbringing and how it affected his political stance. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and philosophy in 2009 and a juris doctor from Yale Law School in 2013. He is from Middletown, Ohio.
Kamala Harris, presidential candidate
Vice President Kamala Devi Harris clinched the Democratic Party’s nomination in August 2024, becoming the first woman of color to lead a major party ticket, four years after a failed presidential bid against Biden. She seeks to counter Trump’s campaign to reverse Biden administration policies, emphasizing her stance with the phrase, “We are not going back.”
Harris promises to lower the price of groceries and prescription drugs, and lower taxes for middle and lower-class families. Harris has also taken on corporate landlords, predatory lenders and price gouging more aggressively. Harris vows to help make abortions legal nationwide following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, launching a “reproductive freedoms tour” in early 2024. Harris has been a champion of climate and environmental justice for several decades.
In recent months, Harris has been increasingly vocal in her support for border control. In July, she pledged support for increasing the number of border patrol agents and vowed to bring back the bipartisan border security bill that President Trump helped kill and sign it into law. In June, Harris’ campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, indicated that a measure to limit asylum claims would continue under the Harris administration.
Harris, 59, is known for her interrogative questioning style. She spent much of her career as a courtroom prosecutor. She was elected District Attorney of San Francisco in 2004, California Attorney General in 2011 and U.S. Senator from California in 2016. Harris earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics from Howard University in 1986 and a juris doctor from the University of California, Hastings School of Law, in 1989. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Harris is from Oakland, California.
Tim Walz, vice presendential candidate
Harris selected Minnesota Governor Tim James Walz, a six-term congressman and former high school football coach, as her running mate just weeks after announcing her candidacy. Though he supports many of the same policies as his running mate, Walz’s extensive background in the Army National Guard and views on gun ownership could prove to be popular among rural, conservative voters.
Walz has made strides for abortion rights and LGBTQ rights and on lowering the cost of prescription drugs within the Democratic Party during his time as governor. In contrast, his position on gun rights earned him a National Rifle Association endorsement, though he lost that endorsement years later as he favored gun safety actions.
At 60, Walz’s profound, well-rounded career makes him a moderate voter’s dream candidate to balance Harris. He earned a bachelor’s degree in social science from Chadron State College in 1989 and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Walz is from Valentine, Nebraska.
Dr. Cornel West, presidential candidate
Dr. Cornel Ronald West placed his bid for president in June 2023 with the People’s Party. He then pivoted to seek the Green Party nomination before dropping out of the party process altogether and running as an Independent. In May 2024, West and his vice president mate Melina Abdullah were disqualified from the 2024 Michigan presidential election ballot due to an incorrectly notarized form. West’s campaign failed to respond to an inquiry about the form.
For years, West has described himself as a “non-Marxist socialist.” His campaign consists of pillars based on Gender, Transformative, Racial, Worker, and Education Justice. Though much of West’s platform is steeped in progressive politics, he is starkly opposed to President Biden’s support of Israel’s military operation in Gaza. West vowed to pressure Israel to implement a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and to withdraw from Palestinian territory.
Prior to his bid, West worked as a professor at Yale, Princeton, Harvard and most recently at Union Theological Seminary. West, 71, received a bachelor’s degree in Near Eastern languages and civilization from Harvard University and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Princeton University. West is from Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Melina Abdullah, vice presidential candidate
Dr. Melina Reimann Abdullah was chosen as West’s running mate in April 2024. Abdullah is a Pan-African studies professor at California State University at Los Angeles’ College of Ethnic Studies, co-founder of Black Lives Matter – Los Angeles, and Black Lives Matter Grassroots, where she also serves as a director.
Abdullah earned her Ph.D. in political science from the University of Southern California and her bachelor’s degree in African American studies from Howard University. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and from Oakland, California.
Robert Kennedy, Jr., presidential candidate
Robert Francis Kennedy Jr., better known as RFK, challenged President Biden to be the Democratic nominee in April 2023 but eventually settled on an Independent run in October. Like many non-major party candidates, Kennedy aimed to appease Americans who had become frustrated with the two-party system. He suspended his campaign on August 23 but stated that his ticket would remain on the ballot in several states.
Jill Stein, presidential candidate
Dr. Jill Ellen Stein originally served as Cornel West’s campaign manager while he aimed to become the Green Party’s presidential nominee before launching her own bid. She was also the Green Party’s nominee in 2016 and the Green-Rainbow Party’s candidate for governor of Massachusetts in 2002 and 2010.
Stein’s campaign aims to be a solution for a “failed two-party system,” with policies steeped in anti-war and pro-climate change rhetoric. Like West, Stein opposed Biden’s support of Israel’s military operation in Gaza.
Stein worked as a physician and environmental activist before launching her political career. She studied psychology, sociology, and anthropology at Harvard University, earning her bachelor’s degree in 1973. She earned her M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1979. Stein is from Chicago, Illinois.
Stein has yet to announce a vice presidential running mate.
Chase Oliver, presidential candidate
Chase Russell Oliver earned the Libertarian Party’s nomination in May 2024 after seven rounds of voting at the party’s convention. Much of Oliver’s policy includes simplifying the path to citizenship and expanding work visas. He also favors eliminating the Federal Reserve, as he said it has contributed to accelerated inflation.
Oliver vowed to withdraw the U.S. from foreign conflicts and is in favor of cutting support for Ukraine and Israel. In addition, Oliver has touted a massive overhaul of the criminal justice system, with a focus on rehabilitation over incarceration, eliminating qualified immunity for police, dismantling the prison-industrial complex and ending the war on drugs.
At 38, Oliver also has experience working in the restaurant industry and corporate maritime trade industry. He currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia.
Mike ter Maat, VP candidate
Michael “Mike” ter Maat was a police officer in Broward County from 2010 through 2021 as a registered libertarian, though he was previously a Republican. Ter Maat placed a bid for Florida’s 20th congressional district’s special election in 2022. That same year, he placed a bid for the Libertarian Party’s presidential nominee but finished third for president among ten nominated candidates.
Ter Maat started a professional education business for bank executives, which he successfully ran until 2009. He earned a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering and a Master of Business Administration degree in management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, as well as a master’s degree and Ph.D. in economics from George Washington University. Ter Maat is from Portland, Oregon.
