This is a timeline of major events leading up to, during, and after the
2024 United States presidential election. This will be the first presidential election to be run with population data from the
2020 census. In addition to the dates mandated by the relevant federal laws such as those in the
U.S. Constitution and the
Electoral Count Act, several milestones have consistently been observed since the adoption of the conclusions of the 1971
McGovern–Fraser Commission.
December 18: The U.S. Supreme Court delivers its per curiam decision in Trump v. New York regarding the
2020 United States census, effectively allowing Trump's July 2020 presidential memorandum to stand, which ordered the
Department of Commerce exclude the estimated counts of illegal immigrants. The per curiam decision vacated the U.S. District Court's previous ruling on the basis that the case was premature due to lack of standing and
ripeness. Justice
Stephen Breyer files a dissent, which was joined by Justices
Sonia Sotomayor and
Elena Kagan, arguing that the Court should have considered the case.[2]
March 16: Donald Trump announces that if he runs for re-election, his former Vice President
Mike Pence will not be his running mate.[10]
April 9: U.S. intelligence officials suggest that
Russian PresidentVladimir Putin may launch another campaign to interfere in the presidential election, similar to in
2016 and
2020.[11]
July 6: Russian propagandist
Olga Skabeyeva suggested that Russia could work to reinstate Trump as president in 2024.[15]
July 14: In an interview with
Olivia Nuzzi of
Intelligencer, Trump states that he had already decided to run again, and is weighing whether to declare "before or after" the midterms.[16]
Former South Carolina Governor and ambassador to the UN
Nikki Haley announced she's considering running for president.[26]
Rapper and 2020 candidate
Kanye West informally confirms his
2024 campaign when answering paparazzi questions.[27]
November 22: Kanye West meets with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, along with
white supremacistNick Fuentes, in which West allegedly offered Trump to be his running mate.[28][29]
December 1–3: The DNC's rules and bylaws committee meets to finalize the primary schedule for the upcoming cycle.[30]
December 15: Based on Trump's involvement in the January 6 Capitol attack, Congressman
David Cicilline introduces a bill that would prevent Trump from running for public office again under
Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment, which disqualifies presidential candidates who have engaged in insurrection against the United States.[31]
January 6:
John Anthony Castro, a minor presidential candidate, files a federal lawsuit against Donald Trump claiming the ineligibility of his candidacy.[33]
January 26: The
Michigan Legislature passes a bill that moves the state's presidential primary date to February, which violates Republican Party rules and may disqualify its delegates.[34]
February 2023
February 4: The
Democratic National Committee approves a new primary calendar, moving South Carolina to February 3, followed by Nevada and New Hampshire on February 6, Georgia on February 13, and Michigan on February 27. Iowa, which traditionally goes first, would then be held later in the primary season.[35][36] The DNC gives Georgia and New Hampshire an extended deadline of June to modify their state laws so they can comply with the new dates (New Hampshire state law mandates them to hold the first primary in the country, while Georgia state law requires them to hold both the Democratic and Republican primaries on the same day), but this remains unlikely to happen since both states have Republican-controlled state legislatures.[37]
March 2: Businessman
Perry Johnson announces his campaign outside of CPAC after spending his own money on
Super Bowl commercials promoting his candidacy the month prior.[41]
March 3: The DNC declares their full support for President Biden's re-election, stating they do not plan to host any official debates.[42]
March 4:
Author
Marianne Williamson announces her
campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination as the first major primary challenger to incumbent President Biden.[43]
Trump wins the 2023 CPAC straw poll, leading prospective candidate
Ron DeSantis by 42 points.[44]
No Labels, a centrist political organization advocating for
bipartisanship, began exploring options to support a
unity ticket in the presidential election.[51]
April 4: Former President Donald Trump turns himself in and pleads not guilty to all 34 felony charges in New York.[52]
The
Idaho Legislature passes House Bill 138, moving the state's presidential primary date to May while also eliminating the original primary date in March.[55][56]
The Daily Beast reports that
Kanye West's campaign has been stagnant for months following infighting between staffers and West's general disinterest.[60]
April 23: The Iowa
Faith and Freedom Coalition annual spring kick-off is held in
Clive, Iowa, and is attended by numerous current and prospective Republican presidential candidates.[64]
Trump raises uncertainty about his participation in primary debates on
Truth Social, saying he did not want to subject himself to "being libeled and abused."[66]
April 26: Asa Hutchinson formally announces his candidacy during a campaign rally in
Bentonville, Arkansas.[67]
June 2: The RNC sets rules for their first presidential debate, requiring candidates to attract 40,000 unique donors with a polling threshold of 1%.[79]
New Hampshire GovernorChris Sununu declares he will not run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, having previously expressed possible interest in doing so.[84]
June 10: The
Michigan Republican Party approves a plan to award a majority of delegates based on
district-level caucus meetings in March, held after the primary in February.[91]
June 11: A
Suffolk University poll finds that 8 in 10 Democratic voters would like to see Biden debate other Democratic primary candidates.[92]
June 13: Former President Donald Trump turns himself in and pleads not guilty to all 37 felony counts at a
federal district court in Miami.[93]
June 14:
Cornel West announces his intention to seek the
Green Party's nomination to build a "coalition strategy."[94]
No Labels stated they will not run a third party candidate if Biden is polling "way ahead" of Trump by spring, insisting they do not want to risk
spoiling the election in favor of Trump.[98]
June 17: President Joe Biden begins his campaign at a rally in
Philadelphia.[99]
June 20: In an interview with
Bret Baier, Trump states that he has not committed to participating in the first primary debate.[100]
June 22–24: The Faith and Freedom Coalition holds a policy conference in
Washington, D.C., with every major Republican candidate besides Burgum in attendance.[102]
June 23: Will Hurd says he will not sign the RNC pledge to back the eventual nominee, disqualifying himself from the primary debates.[103]
June 26: The
Idaho Republican Party votes to approve a March presidential caucus for their presidential nomination process.[104]
July 10: Doug Burgum's campaign begins offering $20 gift cards to supporters who donate at least $1 as a tactic to qualify for the debates.[110]
July 12:
Morning Consult releases the first debate-qualifying poll, with eight candidates surpassing the one percent threshold.[111]
July 13: A
Nevada District Court rules against the state GOP's request to block the state-run primary. Nevada Republicans indicate they will boycott the primary and hold their own caucus at a later date.[112]
July 14:
The Family Leader holds its leadership summit in
Des Moines, Iowa. President Biden and Robert Kennedy were invited, but declined to attend.[113]
July 15: The DeSantis campaign lays off a number of staffers amid struggles with fundraising, according to a report from an internal source.[114]
Trump wins the Turning Point Action Conference straw poll with 86% support. In the vice presidential poll, Kari Lake won 30%, with
Byron Donalds at 24% and Ramaswamy at 22%.[117]
July 25: DeSantis and members of his staff are involved in a car accident outside of
Chattanooga, Tennessee; the governor is unhurt and one staffer receives minor injuries.[118]
July 28: Republican candidates attend the GOP Lincoln Dinner hosted by the
Republican Party of Iowa in Des Moines.[119]
August 4:
Chris Christie becomes the second presidential candidate to visit Ukraine.[121]
August 9: In an interview on
Newsmax, Trump states he will not pledge to support the eventual Republican nominee, one of the requirements to qualify for the primary debates.[122]
August 10–20: The
Iowa State Fair, a traditional stop for presidential campaigns, is held in Des Moines, with Republican candidates making appearances throughout the event.[123]
Ramaswamy states that he would not accept an offer to become the Republican vice presidential nominee.[129]
August 20:
Larry Hogan states that
No Labels will "very likely" run a third-party candidate if both Biden and Trump were to win their respective party nominations.[130]
Republican U.S. Senator
Bill Cassidy calls on Trump to withdraw from the race following his four criminal indictments.[131]
Trump confirms on Truth Social that he will not participate in any primary debates.[132]
August 21: The Republican National Committee announces the eight candidates who will participate in the first primary debate.[133]
A lawsuit is filed in Minnesota claiming
Trump's ineligibility for the
primary ballot due to his violation of
Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment. This becomes one of the several lawsuits filed in various states on the basis that Trump engaged in an insurrection during his involvement in the January 6 Capitol attack.[143]
October 6: The DNC reaches a compromise with the
Iowa Democratic Party, allowing the
Iowa Democratic caucuses to be held first on January 15, 2024, but voting on presidential candidates would also be done via mail-in ballots until Super Tuesday, March 5, 2024.[153]
October 9:
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. withdraws from the
Democratic primaries and launches an independent campaign.[154]
Will Hurd withdraws from the Republican primary, endorsing Nikki Haley's campaign.[155]
October 16: The Biden campaign launches an account on Truth Social.[159]
October 20:
Kanye West's personal attorney states that he is no longer running for president.[160]
Perry Johnson withdraws from the presidential race after failing to qualify for the debates.[161]
October 24: With New Hampshire state officials moving forward in accordance with their state law mandating them to hold the first primary in the country, denying the DNC's request to hold it after South Carolina's, Biden campaign manager
Julie Chávez Rodriguez states that he will not appear on the New Hampshire primary ballot.[162]
October 26:
Larry Elder suspends his presidential campaign and endorses Trump.[163]
November 12:
Tim Scott announces the suspension of his presidential campaign on Fox News.[172]
November 13: The National Review calls on Christie and Burgum to drop out of the race upon the withdrawal of Pence and Scott, citing their low poll numbers.[173]
November 14: A Michigan Court of Claims judge rules that Trump will remain on the state's primary ballot.[174]
November 15: The New Hampshire presidential primary date is set for January 23, 2024, defying the DNC's planned schedule.[175]
December 4:
Doug Burgum suspends his presidential campaign after failing to qualify for the next debate.[181]
December 5: Kennedy files a lawsuit against
Utah Lt. GovernorDeidre Henderson and the state elections director, claiming the state's early filing deadline prevents independent candidates from gaining ballot access.[182]
December 8:
Casey DeSantis calls on voters from outside of Iowa to participate in the state caucuses, which some interpret as an encouragement for illegal voting.[186]
December 11: Tyler Anderson of
Dover, New Hampshire, is arrested and charged with threatening to kill Ramaswamy after his security team notified local law enforcement of text messages sent to the campaign.[188]
February 21: Trump acknowledges the existence of a shortlist of potential running mates and names six candidates at a town hall hosted by
Laura Ingraham.[227]
In the 2024 CPAC vice presidential straw poll, Ramaswamy and
Kristi Noem are tied for first place, with
Tulsi Gabbard in second.[229]
February 25: Kennedy speaks at a convention held by the
Libertarian Party of California, fueling speculation of his possible Libertarian candidacy.[230]
February 26: RNC chair
Ronna McDaniel and co-chair
Drew McKissick announce their resignations from their respective positions, effective March 8.[231]
February 27: Michigan presidential primaries.[220]
Cook County, Illinois Circuit Judge Tracie Porter declares that Trump is ineligible from appearing on the
state ballot. This decision is also paused pending a potential appeal.[235]
March 3: Haley is announced as the winner of the Republican primary in the District of Columbia.[241]
March 4:
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously rules in Trump v. Anderson that efforts by the state of Colorado along with Illinois and Maine to remove Trump from the ballot per the
Fourteenth Amendment are unconstitutional. In a per curiam opinion, the majority ruled that this was a power exclusively held by Congress.[242]
Trump wins the
Georgia,
Hawaii,
Mississippi, and
Washington primaries, clinching enough delegates to become the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party.[254]
President Biden states in an interview with
Howard Stern that he is willing to participate in the general election debates with Trump.[278]
U.S. Secretary of StateAntony Blinken says in an interview that the U.S. has seen evidence of China attempting "to influence and arguably interfere" with the 2024 elections.[279]
November 5 (the Tuesday after the first Monday of November):
Election Day.
December 2024
December 11: (at least six days prior to the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December): the "
safe harbor" deadline under the
Electoral Count Act, where states must finally resolve any controversies over the selection of their electors of the
Electoral College.[289]
December 17: (the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December): The electors meet in their respective
state capitals and the
District of Columbia to formally vote for president and vice president.[290] The number of states that prohibit
faithless electors is subject to change. In 2020, 33 states and D.C. had such laws.[291]
This is a timeline of major events leading up to, during, and after the
2024 United States presidential election. This will be the first presidential election to be run with population data from the
2020 census. In addition to the dates mandated by the relevant federal laws such as those in the
U.S. Constitution and the
Electoral Count Act, several milestones have consistently been observed since the adoption of the conclusions of the 1971
McGovern–Fraser Commission.
December 18: The U.S. Supreme Court delivers its per curiam decision in Trump v. New York regarding the
2020 United States census, effectively allowing Trump's July 2020 presidential memorandum to stand, which ordered the
Department of Commerce exclude the estimated counts of illegal immigrants. The per curiam decision vacated the U.S. District Court's previous ruling on the basis that the case was premature due to lack of standing and
ripeness. Justice
Stephen Breyer files a dissent, which was joined by Justices
Sonia Sotomayor and
Elena Kagan, arguing that the Court should have considered the case.[2]
March 16: Donald Trump announces that if he runs for re-election, his former Vice President
Mike Pence will not be his running mate.[10]
April 9: U.S. intelligence officials suggest that
Russian PresidentVladimir Putin may launch another campaign to interfere in the presidential election, similar to in
2016 and
2020.[11]
July 6: Russian propagandist
Olga Skabeyeva suggested that Russia could work to reinstate Trump as president in 2024.[15]
July 14: In an interview with
Olivia Nuzzi of
Intelligencer, Trump states that he had already decided to run again, and is weighing whether to declare "before or after" the midterms.[16]
Former South Carolina Governor and ambassador to the UN
Nikki Haley announced she's considering running for president.[26]
Rapper and 2020 candidate
Kanye West informally confirms his
2024 campaign when answering paparazzi questions.[27]
November 22: Kanye West meets with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, along with
white supremacistNick Fuentes, in which West allegedly offered Trump to be his running mate.[28][29]
December 1–3: The DNC's rules and bylaws committee meets to finalize the primary schedule for the upcoming cycle.[30]
December 15: Based on Trump's involvement in the January 6 Capitol attack, Congressman
David Cicilline introduces a bill that would prevent Trump from running for public office again under
Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment, which disqualifies presidential candidates who have engaged in insurrection against the United States.[31]
January 6:
John Anthony Castro, a minor presidential candidate, files a federal lawsuit against Donald Trump claiming the ineligibility of his candidacy.[33]
January 26: The
Michigan Legislature passes a bill that moves the state's presidential primary date to February, which violates Republican Party rules and may disqualify its delegates.[34]
February 2023
February 4: The
Democratic National Committee approves a new primary calendar, moving South Carolina to February 3, followed by Nevada and New Hampshire on February 6, Georgia on February 13, and Michigan on February 27. Iowa, which traditionally goes first, would then be held later in the primary season.[35][36] The DNC gives Georgia and New Hampshire an extended deadline of June to modify their state laws so they can comply with the new dates (New Hampshire state law mandates them to hold the first primary in the country, while Georgia state law requires them to hold both the Democratic and Republican primaries on the same day), but this remains unlikely to happen since both states have Republican-controlled state legislatures.[37]
March 2: Businessman
Perry Johnson announces his campaign outside of CPAC after spending his own money on
Super Bowl commercials promoting his candidacy the month prior.[41]
March 3: The DNC declares their full support for President Biden's re-election, stating they do not plan to host any official debates.[42]
March 4:
Author
Marianne Williamson announces her
campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination as the first major primary challenger to incumbent President Biden.[43]
Trump wins the 2023 CPAC straw poll, leading prospective candidate
Ron DeSantis by 42 points.[44]
No Labels, a centrist political organization advocating for
bipartisanship, began exploring options to support a
unity ticket in the presidential election.[51]
April 4: Former President Donald Trump turns himself in and pleads not guilty to all 34 felony charges in New York.[52]
The
Idaho Legislature passes House Bill 138, moving the state's presidential primary date to May while also eliminating the original primary date in March.[55][56]
The Daily Beast reports that
Kanye West's campaign has been stagnant for months following infighting between staffers and West's general disinterest.[60]
April 23: The Iowa
Faith and Freedom Coalition annual spring kick-off is held in
Clive, Iowa, and is attended by numerous current and prospective Republican presidential candidates.[64]
Trump raises uncertainty about his participation in primary debates on
Truth Social, saying he did not want to subject himself to "being libeled and abused."[66]
April 26: Asa Hutchinson formally announces his candidacy during a campaign rally in
Bentonville, Arkansas.[67]
June 2: The RNC sets rules for their first presidential debate, requiring candidates to attract 40,000 unique donors with a polling threshold of 1%.[79]
New Hampshire GovernorChris Sununu declares he will not run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, having previously expressed possible interest in doing so.[84]
June 10: The
Michigan Republican Party approves a plan to award a majority of delegates based on
district-level caucus meetings in March, held after the primary in February.[91]
June 11: A
Suffolk University poll finds that 8 in 10 Democratic voters would like to see Biden debate other Democratic primary candidates.[92]
June 13: Former President Donald Trump turns himself in and pleads not guilty to all 37 felony counts at a
federal district court in Miami.[93]
June 14:
Cornel West announces his intention to seek the
Green Party's nomination to build a "coalition strategy."[94]
No Labels stated they will not run a third party candidate if Biden is polling "way ahead" of Trump by spring, insisting they do not want to risk
spoiling the election in favor of Trump.[98]
June 17: President Joe Biden begins his campaign at a rally in
Philadelphia.[99]
June 20: In an interview with
Bret Baier, Trump states that he has not committed to participating in the first primary debate.[100]
June 22–24: The Faith and Freedom Coalition holds a policy conference in
Washington, D.C., with every major Republican candidate besides Burgum in attendance.[102]
June 23: Will Hurd says he will not sign the RNC pledge to back the eventual nominee, disqualifying himself from the primary debates.[103]
June 26: The
Idaho Republican Party votes to approve a March presidential caucus for their presidential nomination process.[104]
July 10: Doug Burgum's campaign begins offering $20 gift cards to supporters who donate at least $1 as a tactic to qualify for the debates.[110]
July 12:
Morning Consult releases the first debate-qualifying poll, with eight candidates surpassing the one percent threshold.[111]
July 13: A
Nevada District Court rules against the state GOP's request to block the state-run primary. Nevada Republicans indicate they will boycott the primary and hold their own caucus at a later date.[112]
July 14:
The Family Leader holds its leadership summit in
Des Moines, Iowa. President Biden and Robert Kennedy were invited, but declined to attend.[113]
July 15: The DeSantis campaign lays off a number of staffers amid struggles with fundraising, according to a report from an internal source.[114]
Trump wins the Turning Point Action Conference straw poll with 86% support. In the vice presidential poll, Kari Lake won 30%, with
Byron Donalds at 24% and Ramaswamy at 22%.[117]
July 25: DeSantis and members of his staff are involved in a car accident outside of
Chattanooga, Tennessee; the governor is unhurt and one staffer receives minor injuries.[118]
July 28: Republican candidates attend the GOP Lincoln Dinner hosted by the
Republican Party of Iowa in Des Moines.[119]
August 4:
Chris Christie becomes the second presidential candidate to visit Ukraine.[121]
August 9: In an interview on
Newsmax, Trump states he will not pledge to support the eventual Republican nominee, one of the requirements to qualify for the primary debates.[122]
August 10–20: The
Iowa State Fair, a traditional stop for presidential campaigns, is held in Des Moines, with Republican candidates making appearances throughout the event.[123]
Ramaswamy states that he would not accept an offer to become the Republican vice presidential nominee.[129]
August 20:
Larry Hogan states that
No Labels will "very likely" run a third-party candidate if both Biden and Trump were to win their respective party nominations.[130]
Republican U.S. Senator
Bill Cassidy calls on Trump to withdraw from the race following his four criminal indictments.[131]
Trump confirms on Truth Social that he will not participate in any primary debates.[132]
August 21: The Republican National Committee announces the eight candidates who will participate in the first primary debate.[133]
A lawsuit is filed in Minnesota claiming
Trump's ineligibility for the
primary ballot due to his violation of
Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment. This becomes one of the several lawsuits filed in various states on the basis that Trump engaged in an insurrection during his involvement in the January 6 Capitol attack.[143]
October 6: The DNC reaches a compromise with the
Iowa Democratic Party, allowing the
Iowa Democratic caucuses to be held first on January 15, 2024, but voting on presidential candidates would also be done via mail-in ballots until Super Tuesday, March 5, 2024.[153]
October 9:
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. withdraws from the
Democratic primaries and launches an independent campaign.[154]
Will Hurd withdraws from the Republican primary, endorsing Nikki Haley's campaign.[155]
October 16: The Biden campaign launches an account on Truth Social.[159]
October 20:
Kanye West's personal attorney states that he is no longer running for president.[160]
Perry Johnson withdraws from the presidential race after failing to qualify for the debates.[161]
October 24: With New Hampshire state officials moving forward in accordance with their state law mandating them to hold the first primary in the country, denying the DNC's request to hold it after South Carolina's, Biden campaign manager
Julie Chávez Rodriguez states that he will not appear on the New Hampshire primary ballot.[162]
October 26:
Larry Elder suspends his presidential campaign and endorses Trump.[163]
November 12:
Tim Scott announces the suspension of his presidential campaign on Fox News.[172]
November 13: The National Review calls on Christie and Burgum to drop out of the race upon the withdrawal of Pence and Scott, citing their low poll numbers.[173]
November 14: A Michigan Court of Claims judge rules that Trump will remain on the state's primary ballot.[174]
November 15: The New Hampshire presidential primary date is set for January 23, 2024, defying the DNC's planned schedule.[175]
December 4:
Doug Burgum suspends his presidential campaign after failing to qualify for the next debate.[181]
December 5: Kennedy files a lawsuit against
Utah Lt. GovernorDeidre Henderson and the state elections director, claiming the state's early filing deadline prevents independent candidates from gaining ballot access.[182]
December 8:
Casey DeSantis calls on voters from outside of Iowa to participate in the state caucuses, which some interpret as an encouragement for illegal voting.[186]
December 11: Tyler Anderson of
Dover, New Hampshire, is arrested and charged with threatening to kill Ramaswamy after his security team notified local law enforcement of text messages sent to the campaign.[188]
February 21: Trump acknowledges the existence of a shortlist of potential running mates and names six candidates at a town hall hosted by
Laura Ingraham.[227]
In the 2024 CPAC vice presidential straw poll, Ramaswamy and
Kristi Noem are tied for first place, with
Tulsi Gabbard in second.[229]
February 25: Kennedy speaks at a convention held by the
Libertarian Party of California, fueling speculation of his possible Libertarian candidacy.[230]
February 26: RNC chair
Ronna McDaniel and co-chair
Drew McKissick announce their resignations from their respective positions, effective March 8.[231]
February 27: Michigan presidential primaries.[220]
Cook County, Illinois Circuit Judge Tracie Porter declares that Trump is ineligible from appearing on the
state ballot. This decision is also paused pending a potential appeal.[235]
March 3: Haley is announced as the winner of the Republican primary in the District of Columbia.[241]
March 4:
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously rules in Trump v. Anderson that efforts by the state of Colorado along with Illinois and Maine to remove Trump from the ballot per the
Fourteenth Amendment are unconstitutional. In a per curiam opinion, the majority ruled that this was a power exclusively held by Congress.[242]
Trump wins the
Georgia,
Hawaii,
Mississippi, and
Washington primaries, clinching enough delegates to become the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party.[254]
President Biden states in an interview with
Howard Stern that he is willing to participate in the general election debates with Trump.[278]
U.S. Secretary of StateAntony Blinken says in an interview that the U.S. has seen evidence of China attempting "to influence and arguably interfere" with the 2024 elections.[279]
November 5 (the Tuesday after the first Monday of November):
Election Day.
December 2024
December 11: (at least six days prior to the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December): the "
safe harbor" deadline under the
Electoral Count Act, where states must finally resolve any controversies over the selection of their electors of the
Electoral College.[289]
December 17: (the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December): The electors meet in their respective
state capitals and the
District of Columbia to formally vote for president and vice president.[290] The number of states that prohibit
faithless electors is subject to change. In 2020, 33 states and D.C. had such laws.[291]