As the 2024 United States Presidential Election gets closer, it is increasingly looking like it is going to be a Donald Trump versus Joe Biden rematch. However, there have been a few candidates who reached enough popularity to make it possible for there to be a shake up between the major election candidates. One would think this is something Americans would want, given Trump is facing a number of legal challenges, and Biden’s not getting any younger. Unfortunately, it appears that Nikki Haley is the last chance to avoid a 2020 rematch, and her campaign has been unable to build momentum.
Trump and Biden have been the frontrunners of their prospective party’s primaries. There has been some opposition from both sides, but most candidates have dropped out and been unable to sustain a competitive campaign. All that remain on the Democrat’s side is Biden, Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson. All that remain on the Republican side are Trump and Haley. There are also a few independent or third party candidates, including Jill Stein, Cornel West and Robert F. Kennedy.
On the Democratic side, Biden has been dominant in the polls, and while he has not yet formally won the nominations, he has gained more or less all of the delegates that have been won thus far. Not to mention the obvious fact that Biden is the incumbent president, it is fair to say that Biden will be his party’s nominee for the 2024 election. However, in the Republican race, Haley has, at the very least, been able to acquire some delegates. She has 20 compared to Trump’s 110. While 20 delegates is significantly less than 110, it is admirable, considering Trump is a former president. Haley’s campaign may be a long shot, but given Trump’s legal issues, she may have the best shot of anyone at mixing up the 2024 election.
There are also a number of third party and independent candidates who have done decent in the polls. However, third party candidates have a much more difficult time than a nominee of one of the major parties. For example, in 1992 Ross Perot was able to run an extremely successful campaign as an independent. He captured almost 20 million votes, compared to roughly 45 million that Bill Clinton, the victor, was able to secure. However, he didn’t receive a single electoral vote. While an independent may be able to capture popularity at a national level, it is difficult to become popular enough in a single state to secure their electoral votes. Not to mention the fact that the major political parties are extremely dominant and have the resources and infrastructure in place to run a successful presidential campaign.
Out of all the possible options, Haley has the best chance at preventing a Trump versus Biden rematch. Unfortunately, that chance is a small one, and her campaign may be at its end. Regardless, she is the last hope that we have for stopping 2024 from becoming another 2020. That being said, we should all prepare for the inevitable outcome of Trump and Biden duking it out.