With Donald Trump taking victory in the 2024 US election, Vice President Kamala Harris joins the likes of Hillary Clinton and Al Gore as Democratic nominees who have been unsuccessful in their bid to become the president of the United States.
Mr Trump only won the election to become the 47th president last week, but many are already looking at which Democrats could run against the Republican Party in the next election. First, president-elect Trump – who will become the first convicted felon to be president, as of January – will serve his second and final term, with American citizens returning to the polls in 2028 to cast their votes for their next leader.
While it’s too soon to say who could be in the running for definite, let’s take a look at the names rumoured to be in the running for the Democratic Party’s next presidential candidate.
Michelle Obama
Ms Obama hardly needs an introduction – the former First Lady (and, historically, the first Black woman to serve in the role) is an internationally renowned figure. A lawyer, author and activist, she has raised awareness of poverty awareness and education; been an outspoken critic of several of the president-elect’s policies; and been inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Despite false speculation that she would run against Mr Trump in this year’s election, a public poll by Reuters and Ipsos earlier this year found that Ms Obama was the only Democratic option that participants thought could defeat Mr Trump in a confrontation.
Gavin Newsom
California governor Gavin Newsom was one of the potential names speculated to enter this year’s race when President Biden announced he was dropping out in July. Although Ms Harris eventually took the spot, Mr Newsom has had a growing presence in Democratic circles in recent years for his progressive views on issues like gun control. A top contender for the Democratic nominee, between 2004 and 2011, Newsom served as the mayor of San Francisco.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Ocasio-Cortez – also known as AOC – is a favourite among younger Democrats and is known for her staunch socialist views. At 29, the New Yorker became the youngest woman to ever serve in US Congress, and has been outspoken in her anti-establishment views, which include abolishing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and defunding the police. She is an avid supporter of LGBTQIA+ and women’s rights as well as the Green New Deal proposal, which would transition the country’s national energy grid to renewable sources to combat climate change.
Pete Buttigieg
Currently serving as the secretary of transportation in President Biden’s cabinet, Pete Buttigieg became the second openly gay man to launch a presidential bid in 2020, after Fred Karger in 2012. Although he eventually dropped out of the race to support President Biden, the self-proclaimed Democratic capitalist has remained a prominent name in the party. Before entering politics, Mr Buttigieg worked as an intelligence officer in the US Navy Reserves for six years, which included a seven-month deployment to Afghanistan.
Gretchen Whitmer
Gretchen Whitmer was another name considered as a good opponent to president-elect Trump when President Biden quit the race. However, the progressive Michigan governor quickly voiced her support for Ms Harris and served as the co-chair of her campaign. During a speech about abortion in 2013, Ms Whitmer won praise for opening up about her experience of sexual assault, and was at the centre of a kidnapping plot in 2020 when the FBI arrested 13 men who were suspected of abducting her, motivated by her strict lockdown measures in response to the pandemic.
Wes Moore
As the 63rd governor of Maryland, 46-year-old Wes Moore is the third Black governor to ever be elected in the US. He previously served in the US Army, worked as an investment banker and has written a novel. Regarded as a rising star among Democrats, Moore – whose views are considered as centre-left – made headlines in June when he signed an executive order pardoning more than 175,000 low-level marijuana convictions in the state.
