The 2024 election was, honestly, a bit of a wild ride. If you're looking back at the chaos, you probably remember the big names, but the full list of who are the candidates for president 2024 is actually way longer than most people realize. It wasn't just a two-person race.
We had a sitting president drop out. A former president came back. And a whole bunch of third-party hopefuls tried to break the system.
The Major Players Everyone Talked About
The headline act eventually settled into a showdown between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. But it didn't start that way. For most of the year, everyone assumed we were getting a 2020 rematch between Trump and Joe Biden. Then, that June debate happened. Biden’s performance was... well, it was rough. By July, he stepped aside, and Vice President Kamala Harris took the baton.
Donald Trump ran on the Republican ticket with JD Vance, a Senator from Ohio. They leaned hard into "America First," focusing on the economy, immigration, and those massive tariffs. On the other side, Harris picked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Their campaign was basically a whirlwind of "joy" and a promise to protect reproductive rights and the middle class.
It's kinda wild how fast the momentum shifted.
What Happened to Joe Biden?
Basically, Biden won almost all the Democratic primaries. He was the guy. But after he stepped down in July 2024, the delegates pivoted to Harris at the Democratic National Convention. It was a historic move—we haven't seen a late-game swap like that in the modern era.
The Outsiders: Third-Party and Independent Hopefuls
If you only watched the big networks, you might've missed the others. But if you're asking who are the candidates for president 2024, you have to include the people who didn't have a "D" or an "R" next to their name.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was the biggest "what if" for a long time. He's a Kennedy, which carries weight, but his views on vaccines and the environment made him a bit of a wildcard. He eventually suspended his campaign in August and threw his support behind Trump, but his name still stayed on a lot of ballots.
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Then there was Jill Stein. She’s the physician who keeps representing the Green Party. Her platform was all about the climate, stopping the war in Gaza, and an "economic bill of rights." She’s been a staple in these races for years.
- Chase Oliver: The Libertarian nominee. He’s a younger guy, very anti-war and pro-individual rights. He actually managed to get on the ballot in almost every state.
- Cornel West: A famous philosopher and academic. He ran as an independent after flirting with the Green Party.
- Claudia De la Cruz: Representing the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
Most people don't realize there are dozens of other names on the ballot in some states. We're talking about the American Solidarity Party, the Constitution Party, and even people running as independents with basically zero funding.
Why the Ballot Looked Different in Every State
Here is the thing that confuses people: the list of candidates changes depending on where you live. To get on the ballot, you need a certain number of signatures.
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In some states, it's easy. In others, like New York or California, it's a total nightmare for third parties. That’s why Jill Stein might be an option for a voter in one state, but totally missing for someone a few miles away across a state line.
The Result of the 2024 Shuffle
When the dust settled on November 5, 2024, Donald Trump secured 312 electoral votes, clearing the 270 needed to win. Kamala Harris ended with 226. Even though the third-party candidates only pulled in a small percentage of the popular vote—somewhere around 2% combined—they were a huge part of the conversation in swing states like Pennsylvania and Michigan.
Honestly, the 2024 cycle proved that the "two-party system" is under a lot of pressure, even if it still holds the keys to the White House.
If you want to dive deeper into how these candidates actually performed, you should check out the official certified results from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) or your local Secretary of State's website. They have the final, verified tallies for every single person who received a vote, including the write-ins.
Next Steps for Researching Election History:
To see exactly how the vote broke down in your specific area, visit your state's official election result portal. You can search for "Certified Election Results [Your State] 2024" to see the specific counts for the minor party candidates and how they compared to the national average. This is the best way to understand the impact of third parties on the ground level.