By Katharine Jackson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The vote counting from the U.S. midterm elections is not yet done but leading Democrats and Republicans are already preparing for the 2024 presidential elections.
Here is a look at possible White House contenders:
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN
Democratic President Joe Biden has said he intends to run for reelection and would likely make a final decision early next year after consulting with his family.
His potential candidacy was buoyed by better-than-expected results for his fellow Democrats in Tuesday’s midterm elections, which White House officials deemed a vindication of his administration’s policies.
One possible concern for some voters: how the 79-year-old president’s age could affect his candidacy and potential performance during a second four-year term.
FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP
Republican former President Donald Trump launched a 2024 White House run on Tuesday.
Strategists and party leaders have said Trump, 76, remains the odds-on favorite for the Republican nomination in 2024, especially if the party succeeds in taking control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
But Trump had a mixed record with the candidates he endorsed in the midterm elections, and if Republicans fail to capture control of Congress, some may blame him.
VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS
Should Biden decide not to run, Vice President Kamala Harris could step in.
Harris, 58 is currently the top alternate candidate, Democratic officials tell Reuters, with the majority of opinion polls showing her second after Biden and well ahead of other potential Democratic candidates.
Her poor showing in the 2020 presidential race and lack of standout policy success as vice president have raised doubts about whether she could defeat a Republican opponent.
FLORIDA GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS
Republican Ron DeSantis, Florida’s 44-year-old governor, could be Trump’s leading rival for the nomination.
With a strong political base and war chest behind him, DeSantis cruised to a landslide victory on Tuesday in his bid for a second four-year term as governor.
His resistance to COVID-19 restrictions, as well as clashes with liberals over LGBTQ rights, immigration, and race-based discussions, have won praise from conservatives nationwide.
CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM
Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom won a second four-year term as governor on Tuesday, handily beating his Republican opponent with a campaign focused on national political issues like abortion rights and immigration.
Newsom, 55, has already contacted potential donors and staff in case Biden decides not to run, according to two sources familiar with those efforts. He is not expected to challenge Biden.
TEXAS GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT
Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott, endorsed by Trump in his run for a third four-year term, fended off Democratic former U.S. Representative Beto O’Rourke in Tuesday’s election.
Abbott, 64, has pursued increasingly conservative policies during his second term, opposing COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates. He signed the most restrictive abortion ban of any U.S. state into law and is building a new barrier on the border with Mexico.
Although long rumored to be a potential 2024 candidate, Abbott has not addressed the issue publicly for some time.
FORMER VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE
Republican former Vice President Mike Pence served as a loyal, prim No. 2 to the flamboyant Trump, only to have his boss turn against him on Jan. 6, 2021, when Trump supporters rioted at the U.S. Capitol. A Republican former congressman, Pence defied Trump on that day and certified Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential victory, as required by law.
Pence has walked a fine line ever since, not risking the wrath of Trump’s base.
The 63-year-old former Indiana governor is widely considered to be mulling a White House run. He campaigned for Brian Kemp, a Trump nemesis who was reelected Georgia governor on Tuesday.
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE LIZ CHENEY
Republican…
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