With just a few days left until Election Day, let’s take a look at the 2024 candidates on the Democratic and Republican tickets vying to win the White House.
Vice President Kamala Harris is the Democratic presidential candidate. The daughter of immigrants from India and Jamaica, Harris grew up in Oakland and spent much of her political career in California’s Bay Area.
She was first elected San Francisco District Attorney in 2004 and later served as California Attorney General. Harris was subsequently elected to the U.S. Senate and was selected as President Joe Biden’s running mate in the 2020 election.
Harris announced her candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination after Biden withdrew from the race and announced her support on July 21. Harris is the first Black woman and the first Asian American to lead a major political party.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is Harris’ running mate. Before being elected to Congress in 2007 to represent the state’s 1st Congressional District, Mr. Walz served as a high school geography teacher and assistant football coach. He also served in the Army National Guard. Walz has been the governor of Minnesota since 2019.
Former President Donald Trump is the Republican presidential candidate and is seeking to become the second commander-in-chief to win two non-consecutive terms.
Mr. Trump was born in New York and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in economics. Before his successful presidential bid in 2016, Trump was a real estate developer, businessman, and host of the reality show “The Apprentice.”
Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance is President Trump’s running mate. Born in Middletown, Ohio, Vance wrote a memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, about his upbringing and white working-class American life. He also attended Yale Law School, worked as a venture capitalist, and served in the United States Marine Corps.
Vance was elected to the Senate in 2023, fending off a stronger-than-expected challenge from Democrat Tim Ryan to keep the seat in Republican control.
Read more about Democratic, Republican, and third-party candidates.
