Potential 2024 US presidential candidates

Vote counting in the United States midterm elections is not yet complete 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 re-election 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 fellow Democrats in the midterm elections.

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, 76, has hinted he will launch a 2024 White House run soon, pointing to a possible announcement on Tuesday.

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

Vice President Kamala Harris, 58, is the top alternate Democratic candidate if Biden decides not to run.

Her poor showing in the 2020 presidential race and lack of standout policy success as vice president has 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 in midterm elections in his bid for a second four-year term as governor.

CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM

Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom won a second four-year term as governor on Tuesday with a campaign focused on national political issues such as 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 US Representative Beto O’Rourke in midterm elections.

Abbott, 64, has pursued conservative policies during his second term, opposing COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates. He also signed the most restrictive abortion ban of any US state into law.

FORMER VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE

Republican former Vice President Mike Pence served as a loyal No. 2 to Trump only to have his boss turn against him on January 6, 2021, when Trump supporters rioted at the US Capitol. A Republican former congressman, Pence defied Trump that day and certified Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential victory, as required by law.

The 63-year-old former Indiana governor campaigned for re-elected Georgia governor Brian Kemp, a Trump nemesis.

US REPRESENTATIVE LIZ CHENEY

Republican US representative Liz Cheney, 56, has vowed to do everything she can to keep Trump from returning to the White House and said she would decide soon whether to run herself.

The daughter of former vice president Dick Cheney, she lost the Republican Party’s primary for Wyoming’s single seat in Congress to a Trump-backed challenger after saying she would not “go along with President Trump’s lie about the 2020 election” to win.

TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY PETE BUTTIGIEG

Pete Buttigieg vied for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination before bowing out and endorsing Biden.

Buttigieg, 40, a former Navy Reserve officer who served as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is the first openly gay Cabinet member in US history.

FORMER UN AMBASSADOR NIKKI HALEY

A former governor of South Carolina and daughter of Indian immigrants, Nikki Haley was the highest-profile woman in Trump’s Cabinet.

Haley, 50, a rising Republican star who has alternately held Trump close and at bay, said in October she would consider whether or not to run at the start of next year.

MICHIGAN GOVERNOR GRETCHEN WHITMER

Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, 51, won a second four-year term in the midterms after campaigning hard on abortion rights.

Her Trump-backed opponent supported a near-total ban on abortion, including for child victims of rape and incest.