Presidential primaries and caucuses of the Republican Party took place within 48 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and five U.S. territories between January 15, 2024, and June 4, 2024. These elections selected most of the 2,429 delegates to be sent to the Republican National Convention. Former president Donald Trump was nominated as the republican nominee for the president of the United States for a third consecutive election cycle.
In 2023, a crowded field of candidates emerged, including Trump, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, and wealth management executive Vivek Ramaswamy. Trump maintained a consistent lead in primary polling since the 2020 election. Among non-Trump candidates, DeSantis initially polled in a close second behind Trump, but his polling numbers steadily declined throughout 2023. Ramaswamy experienced a small polling bump in mid-2023, but this proved to be brief. Haley's campaign began attracting greater attention in the final months of 2023, though neither she nor any other candidate came close to Trump in polling. The Republican primaries were referred to as a "race for second" due to Trump's consistent lead in polls.
At the January 15 Iowa caucuses, Trump posted a landslide victory, with DeSantis narrowly beating out Haley for second place and Ramaswamy in a distant fourth. Following the Iowa caucuses, Ramaswamy and DeSantis dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump, leaving Trump and Haley as the only remaining major candidates. Trump then defeated Haley in the January 23 New Hampshire primary, albeit by a smaller margin of victory than he achieved in Iowa; he defeated Haley again in the February 24 South Carolina primary, Haley's home state, a month later. After Trump's overwhelming victories nationwide on Super Tuesday, Haley suspended her campaign on March 6, having only won Vermont and Washington, D.C. Her victory in the Washington, D.C. primary on March 3, 2024, made her the first woman ever to win a Republican Party presidential primary contest. After March 6, 2024, Trump was the only major candidate remaining in the republican primaries.
Some Republicans expressed concerns about Trump's candidacy due to his loss in 2020, his alleged role in inciting the January 6 Capitol attack, ongoing criminal cases against him, and the results of the 2022 midterms in which several Trump-endorsed candidates lost key races; many others supported him and decried the investigations as politically motivated, and Trump maintained high favorability ratings among Republican voters. Trump's eligibility to appear on the ballot was challenged by some voters and political leaders in Colorado, Maine and Illinois; these efforts were rejected by the Supreme Court of the United States in a unanimous decision. Trump became the presumptive nominee on March 12, with his victory in the Washington primary bringing him over the 1,215 delegate threshold needed to clinch the nomination.
On July 15, 2024, Trump and his running mate, U.S. Senator from Ohio JD Vance, were officially nominated as the Republican presidential and vice presidential candidates at the Republican National Convention. Trump became the first person to be the Republican nominee in three consecutive elections, and the second three-time Republican nominee, after Richard Nixon (1960, 1968, 1972). The Trump-Vance ticket won the general election on November 5, defeating the Democratic Party ticket of incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota governor Tim Walz.
Results
Popular Vote
Candidates
During the 2024 election season, over 400 candidates filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to run for the Republican presidential nomination.
Withdrew during the primaries
Other candidates
- Ryan Binkley, pastor and businessman from Texas (withdrew February 27, 2024; endorsed Trump)
- John Anthony Castro, tax consultant and perennial candidate from Texas
- E. W. Jackson, pastor and nominee for lieutenant governor of Virginia in 2013 (withdrew January 23, 2024; endorsed Trump)
Timeline
2022
November 2022
A week after the 2022 midterm elections, former president Donald Trump announced at Mar-a-Lago that he would run again for the presidency in 2024. Trump was the first former president to run for president after leaving office since Herbert Hoover did so in 1940. When he won the Republican nomination, he became the first Republican to be nominated for president three separate times since Richard Nixon (Republican nominee in 1960, 1968, and 1972). After winning the general election, Trump became the only president other than Grover Cleveland to serve two non-consecutive terms.
2023
February 2023
On February 14, former South Carolina governor and former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley released a video announcing her presidential candidacy.
On February 21, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy announced his presidential candidacy on Tucker Carlson Tonight.
March 2023
On March 2, businessman Perry Johnson, who had been deemed ineligible to appear on the Republican primary ballot in the 2022 Michigan gubernatorial election due to allegedly fraudulent signatures, announced his intent to run for president in 2024.
April 2023
On April 2, former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson announced his candidacy during an interview with ABC News' Jonathan Karl. On April 6, Hutchinson filed candidate paperwork with the Federal Election Commission.
On April 12, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina announced an exploratory committee to run for president.
On April 20, radio host and former California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder announced his campaign on Tucker Carlson Tonight.
May 2023
On May 19, Tim Scott submitted FEC paperwork to run. He announced his presidential run publicly on May 22.
On May 24, Florida governor and former U.S. representative Ron DeSantis submitted his FEC paperwork to run, and announced that he was running for president during a Twitter Spaces interview with Twitter owner Elon Musk.
June 2023
On June 5, former Vice President Mike Pence filed paperwork to run for president and North Dakota governor Doug Burgum released a campaign video. Pence's candidacy made him the first vice president to run against the president under whom he served since John Nance Garner in 1940.
On June 6, Burgum published an announcement opinion-editorial piece announcing his presidential run in The Wall Street Journal, making him the first person born in North Dakota to seek a major party's president nomination. The same day, former New Jersey governor and 2016 presidential candidate Chris Christie publicly announced a presidential campaign in New Hampshire.
On June 7, Pence publicly announced his bid with a campaign video. Also, Burgum delivered a public announcement speech in Fargo.
On June 14, Miami mayor Francis Suarez filed his run with the Federal Election Commission. He delivered a speech the next day at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library to publicly announce his campaign, as four other Republicans in the race had done in the last year.
On June 22, former CIA agent and representative of Texas Will Hurd launched a run, after previously expressing interest in launching a presidential bid.
August 2023
On August 1, Donald Trump was indicted a third time for trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
On August 14, Donald Trump was indicted a fourth time for trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state of Georgia.
On August 21, the slate of candidates that officially qualified for the debate was released: Doug Burgum, Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Asa Hutchinson, Mike Pence, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Tim Scott.
On August 23, the first Republican candidates debate took place in Milwaukee, broadcast by Fox News. To be eligible for this debate, a candidate must have polled at least one percent, received donations from 40,000 individuals, and signed a loyalty pledge to back whoever ultimately wins the party presidential nomination. Candidates deemed eligible for the debate were Doug Burgum, Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Asa Hutchinson, Mike Pence, Vivek Ramaswamy and Tim Scott. Trump did not participate in the debate, instead filming an interview with Tucker Carlson that was released minutes before the debate was scheduled to begin.
On August 29, Francis Suarez suspended his presidential campaign, becoming the first major candidate to do so.
September 2023
On September 18, Donald Trump's campaign announced that he would be giving a speech in Detroit before striking United Auto Workers union members at the same time as the second debate in California. United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain pointed out that Trump's speech was being held at a non-union plant whose workers were not connected to the strike.
The requirements to attend the second debate were to be polling at three percent in at least three reputable national polls, while the donor requirement increased to 50,000 unique donations. As of September 26, the slate of candidates that qualified for the second debate and would attend included: Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Vivek Ramaswamy, Mike Pence, Chris Christie, and Doug Burgum. Asa Hutchinson, who appeared for the first debate, did not qualify.
On September 27, the second Republican presidential debate took place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.
October 2023
On October 2, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to hear John Anthony Castro's case to disqualify Donald Trump from appearing on the ballot.
On October 9, former Representative Will Hurd withdrew from the race.
On October 17, judge for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Tanya S. Chutkan, issued a gag order on Donald Trump from targeting prosecutors, court staff or "any reasonably foreseeable witness" marking the first time in U.S. history where the speech of a presidential candidate was limited by the courts.
On October 20, businessman Perry Johnson suspended his campaign. Judge Chutkan lifted the gag order on Donald Trump to allow Trump's legal team to appeal the order.
On October 26, former talk radio show host Larry Elder suspended his campaign and endorsed Trump.
On October 28, former Vice President of the United States Mike Pence suspended his campaign.
On October 30, Judge Chutkan reinstated the gag order on Donald Trump.
November 2023
On November 3, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit lifted the gag order on Donald Trump until at least November 20, when oral arguments for or against the gag order would be heard by a three judge panel.
On November 6, the RNC announced that the following candidates qualified for the third presidential debate; Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Chris Christie and Tim Scott. The criteria to qualify for the third debate were having more than 70,000 unique donations and polling at 4% or better in national polls and local polls in Iowa or New Hampshire.
On November 8, the third Republican presidential debate took place in Miami, Florida. Donald Trump did not participate.
On November 12, Tim Scott, U.S. Senator from South Carolina, dropped out of the race.
On November 20, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit reached a compromise between Trump and Chutkan, issuing a narrow gag order preventing Trump from "insulting" prosecutors, court personnel and potential witnesses, but allowing him to speak freely about outside counsel and issues relating to his presidential campaign.
On November 30, DeSantis debated Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom.
December 2023
On December 4, Governor of North Dakota Doug Burgum announced his withdrawal from the race.
On December 6, the fourth Republican presidential debate took place at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Christie, DeSantis, Haley, Ramaswamy and Trump all met the donor and polling criteria. Trump again skipped the event.
On December 19, 2023, after a 4–3 ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court, Colorado became the first to disqualify former President Donald Trump from its primary ballot under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. Trump remained on the ballot pending an appeal. The Colorado Republican Party is considering holding a caucus in place of the state-sanctioned primary if the decision stands.
On December 22, CBS reported that Donald Trump was inquiring within his campaign and with his allies over the possibility of tapping Nikki Haley for his running mate. This came shortly after a poll which showed Haley in second place in Iowa with 29% to Trump's 44%. In response, senior members of the Trump circle, including Donald Trump Jr., Roger Stone, and Tucker Carlson, all rejected the idea.
On December 28, Maine followed Colorado in prohibiting former President Trump from appearing on its ballots, though it was stayed pending an appeal.
On December 29, an effort in Virginia to prohibit former President Trump from appearing on their ballots by two social justice activists, Roy Perry-Bey and Carlos Howard, was dismissed by Leonie Brinkema, judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, due to the pair lacking standing to sue Trump under Virginia law.
2024
January 2024
On January 5, the Supreme Court agreed to hear Trump's appeal of his removal from the Colorado ballot.
On January 9, Gloria Navarro, judge for the United States District Court for the District of Nevada, rejected an effort in Nevada to block former President Trump from appearing on the state's ballots by John Anthony Castro. Navarro stated that Castro, a resident of Texas who cited the 14th Amendment in the case, does not have the standing to sue Trump under Nevada law. The point was largely moot, as the lawsuit would have barred Trump from appearing on the Nevada primary. Trump and the Nevada Republican Party had boycotted the state-organized primary in favor of a GOP-organized caucus.
On January 10, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie withdrew from the race. The fifth Republican presidential debate was held at Drake University in Des Moines, hosted by CNN. The requirements to attend were: finishing in the top three in local polls in Iowa, and be polling at at least 10% in both national and local polls. The three candidates that qualified were Trump, Haley, and DeSantis. Trump again did not participate, leaving the debate solely between Haley and DeSantis. Continuing his counterprogramming strategy, Trump instead appeared at a town hall with Fox News. Ramaswamy hosted a podcast interview with podcaster Tim Pool and Candace Owens after not qualifying for the debate.
On January 14, North Dakota governor and withdrawn candidate Doug Burgum endorsed Trump for president.
On January 15, Trump won the Iowa caucuses. In the Iowa Republican caucuses Trump won 20 delegates, DeSantis won 9 delegates, Haley won 8 delegates, and Ramaswamy won 3 delegates. Following the caucuses, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy withdrew from the race and endorsed Trump.
On January 16, former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson suspended his campaign. Later that same day, ABC announced it was canceling its debate scheduled for January 18, citing the fact that both Haley and Trump refused to attend.
On January 17, the seventh Republican presidential debate that was to be held at St. Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire on January 21, was cancelled by CNN.