The 2024 US presidential election promises to be unprecedented in modern times.
Leading the pack of Republican presidential candidates is former President Donald Trump, who faces a battery of federal and state criminal charges related to his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
Mr. Biden, the outgoing president, is the presumptive Democratic nominee.
At 81, he would be the oldest American to win a presidential election if he wins a second four-year term in November 2024.
Republican candidates
Mr. Trump, 77, dominates the Republican camp, which has largely avoided criticizing him for his actions related to the 2020 election, for fear of alienating his base of die-hard supporters.
Many of these supporters believe Mr. Trump’s false claims that the election was stolen from him.
His Republican rivals, such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, have instead argued that Mr Trump’s legal problems would cripple him in his fight against Biden in the general election.
One exception is former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who condemned Mr. Trump’s attempts to overturn the outcome of the 2020 election.
Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, a long-shot candidate, said Mr. Trump was unfit for office.
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, a political newcomer, presents himself as the heir to Mr. Trump’s populist, America First agenda, an agenda that distrusts an expansive federal government, corporate power and international alliances.

Mr. DeSantis was once seen as the candidate most likely to deny Mr. Trump the nomination, but his campaign has failed since its launch in May despite a large war chest.
Ms. Haley has gained some momentum following strong debate performances, and they are essentially tied nationally, according to opinion polls.
National polls also show Mr. Trump holding a slight advantage over Mr. Biden in a head-to-head matchup, with voters concerned about Mr. Biden’s age and his handling of the economy, despite growth in the economy. employment, investments in infrastructure and a slow decline in inflation after the last few months. the peak of the year.
Mr. Trump faces indictments in four cases in federal and state courts over his efforts to undermine the 2020 election, his mishandling of classified documents and his involvement in a “secrecy” scheme involving a porn star.
He has maintained his innocence and said he was the victim of politically motivated prosecutions, a claim the Biden administration and other prosecutors deny.
The legal timetables for these cases pose obstacles to Mr. Trump’s ability to campaign.
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled Dec. 19 that Mr. Trump was barred from running in the state’s Republican primary because he had engaged in insurrection in violation of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment. American.

The ruling only applies to Colorado but could encourage other state courts to rule the same way.
Mr Trump is expected to appeal to the US Supreme Court.
Democratic candidates
Although voters may not be enthusiastic, Democratic leaders and major donors are supporting Mr. Biden and his vice president, Kamala Harris.
Dean Phillips, a little-known U.S. congressman from Minnesota, announced in October that he would mount a long-term challenge because he does not believe the president can win another term.
Author and self-help speaker Marianne Williamson is also running against Mr. Biden.
The president’s case for a second term hinges on his handling of the economy as it emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic, and what he calls the “battle for the soul of America.” , a fight against Trump-aligned Republicans.

Under Mr. Biden, unemployment fell to generational lows, gross domestic product (GDP) grew faster than expected, and wages rose.
However, inflation soared last year and, although it has eased in recent months, voters remain concerned about the high prices of basic goods such as food, fuel, cars and accommodation.
If Mr. Trump were the Republican nominee, much of Mr. Biden’s campaign would likely focus on warning voters that Mr. Trump poses a mortal threat to American democracy.
Other candidates
Robert F Kennedy Jr, scion of the famous US political family and anti-vaccine campaigner, launched an independent bid rather than challenge Mr Biden for the Democratic nomination.
Mr. Kennedy has shown some appeal among Republicans and Democrats, unenthusiastic about another Biden-Trump showdown.

Progressive activist Cornel West also said he would run as an independent, and former presidential candidate Jill Stein said she would seek the Green Party nomination.
The challenge for these candidates will be to amass enough support to get on the ballot in all 50 states next year.
When do the 2024 primaries start?
Republicans will hold their first nomination contest on January 15 with the Iowa caucuses.
New Hampshire will hold a presidential primary election a week later, followed by Nevada, South Carolina and Michigan.
Democrats plan to hold their first primary in South Carolina in February.
“Super Tuesday” – during which more than a dozen states will award delegates to party conventions, including California and Texas – will take place on March 5.
Each party will nominate the candidate who receives the most delegates at its nominating convention in the summer of 2024.
The Republicans will hold their convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, while the Democrats will hold theirs in Chicago.
The general elections will take place on November 5, 2024.
Key states in the presidential race

The fact that both parties hold their conventions in the Midwest speaks volumes about the value they place on Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, all of which went for Mr. Trump in 2016 and shifted to Mr. Biden in 2020.
Arizona, Georgia and Nevada also proved narrowly divided and contain growing populations that could determine the next election.
Another key battleground next year could be North Carolina, a southern state with an increasingly diverse electorate.
The main issues facing candidates
Abortion: Democrats plan to make abortion central to their 2024 campaign, with opinion polls showing most Americans do not support strict limits on reproductive rights.
The issue has become more motivating for those who support abortion rights than for those who oppose them, and the party hopes that threats to these rights will encourage millions of women and independents to vote for them next year. next year.
The issue divides Republicans, with some leaders fearing the party has gone too far with state-level restrictions since the U.S. Supreme Court last year overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, ending to the constitutional protection of abortion.
The economy: Mr Biden’s White House is trying to reassure Americans that the economy is in good health, with inflation slowing and unemployment at its lowest level in half a century.
Republicans say they will cut federal spending, which they blame for fueling inflation and triggering consumer price hikes, reduce federal regulation and cut taxes.
Democrats say the economy is healthy, wages are rising and infrastructure investments generate long-term job creation.
Voters are still not convinced. A Reuters/Ipsos poll in September found that 27% of Mr. Biden’s 2020 voters said their finances were “weaker” than they were before the pandemic, compared with 28% who said that they were “better” and 42% who said they were “better”. about the same.”
Immigration: Since taking office in 2021, Mr. Biden has grappled with a record number of migrants caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally, straining resources there and in the cities where they are are rendered, like New York and Chicago.
Republican candidates, including Mr. Trump, have criticized Mr. Biden for rolling back more restrictive Trump-era policies and pledged to strengthen border security.

Some Democrats have criticized Mr. Biden for turning to Trump-style enforcement measures to reduce illegal crossings, while the White House has said it is moving toward a more humane and orderly system by offering new ways for migrants to enter legally.
Crime: Violent crime remained at higher levels nationwide than in 2019, the year before the Covid-19 pandemic and racial justice unrest.
Americans in both parties are worried: 88% of respondents in a December Reuters/Ipsos poll say crime would be an important factor in determining who gets their vote.
Foreign policy: China has become the campaign’s foreign policy issue, with Republicans saying the Asian power poses a growing threat to national security, U.S. business interests and Taiwan’s independence.
The Biden administration has said it wants to “de-risk” and not “de-decouple” its relationship with China and work to prevent competition between the world’s No. 1 and second-largest economies from escalating into conflict.
Ukraine is another major issue dividing the Republican camp.
Trump and DeSantis say Mr. Biden’s support for Ukraine in its war against Russia distracts the United States from preparing for a possible confrontation with China.
Other Republican candidates, like Ms. Haley, say the United States must continue to support Ukraine.
A sudden outbreak of violence between Israel and Hamas has thrown a new polarizing issue into the election campaign.
Mr. Biden, who strongly supports Israel, faces dissent from many Democrats concerned about a growing humanitarian crisis in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
Republicans also support Israel and use the conflict to push for strengthening the U.S.-Mexico border.