On Jan. 21, current Florida governor Ron DeSantis announced on X that he was ending his Republican campaign for the presidential election. The governor referenced his second-place win in the Iowa Caucus, winning 21.1% of the vote, trailing behind former president Donald Trump’s 51%, according to The Associated Press. DeSantis said that he and his team looked for ways to proceed with the campaign, but to no avail. “If there was anything I could do to produce a favorable outcome — more campaign stops, more interviews — I would do it,” DeSantis told his followers.

In his resignation, DeSantis endorsed the former president, stating that despite his disagreements with Trump regarding COVID-19 and his relationship with Dr. Anthony Fauci, he considers Trump to be superior to incumbent President Joe Biden. DeSantis is leaving the race for the Republican nomination between Trump and Nikki Haley. The two candidates will compete during this week’s New Hampshire Primary taking place on Tuesday, Jan. 23. Reuters reports that Trump is the projected winner at 47% of Republican voters with Haley at nearly 34%. Prior to his announcement, DeSantis was projected to take third place with 3% of the vote.

Despite being in the face of 91 felony counts — any of which could result in his imprisonment — Trump’s presidential bid is reliably the most popular across Republican voters. His major legal battles include the Department of Justice investigation of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago documents, fabricated business records in Manhattan and his election subversion case in Georgia. The former president is also cultivating his campaign while 30 states debate whether or not Section 3 of Amendment 14 can ultimately remove him from the ballot. This section outlines that no person who has “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against the U.S. government after having previously “taken an oath … to support the Constitution” can hold any office again. Colorado and Maine have already elected to omit Trump from their ballots.

Amid other Republican candidates dropping out — such as Chris Christie, Vivek Ramaswamy and Mike Pence  — there have been numerous third-party and Democratic candidates announcing their decisions to join the presidential race. 

Minnesota Congressman Dean Philips is running against President Biden in hopes of receiving the Democratic ticket. His campaign website says that he has been “recognized as the [second] most bipartisan member of Congress,” having held leadership positions within numerous committees. He wishes to create an “affordable America” through a number of strategies, such as increasing affordable housing, creating a “Medicare for all” program, providing free college and several other institutional changes across industries. 

Jill Stein is running for the Green Party’s nomination. According to her website, Stein is a “Harvard-educated doctor, a pioneering environmental health advocate, and an organizer for people, planet and peace.” Her intent is to fight environmental racism, injustice and improve communities, amongst numerous other issues. Furthermore, Stein calls on the “U.S. government [to] stop supporting the ongoing Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza,” popularizing the petition on her campaign website. The Associated Press reports that Stein has not won a state or nationwide office.

Cornel West has changed his party affiliation multiple times throughout his presidential run. In June 2023, he announced his run initially as part of the People’s Party. He then changed his party to the Green Party and is now running as an independent candidate. A prominent activist, West has taught philosophy at several universities, including Harvard and Princeton. According to NBC News, compared to his competition, West has only 10 staffers and one public campaign rally. While his rivals have raised tens of millions of dollars for their campaign, he only has a few hundred thousand dollars. He has also sworn off financial support from a super Political Action Committee that could help make up the difference. “I’m a jazz man. I believe in improvisation,” West said. “I’m trying to just learn, listen, be jazz-like enough to improvise while holding on to my integrity and honesty.”

Claudia de la Cruz is running for President as a Party for Socialism and Liberation party candidate. “For nearly 30 years, Claudia has demonstrated a fierce commitment to building people power,” Cruz’s campaign website states. She points to her experience as co-executive director and co-founder of The People’s Forum in New York City, which is a global and national “political education space and cultural home.” Cruz’s running mate is Karina Garcia, a “popular educator” who has organized campaigns against issues such as police brutality, wage theft, landlord abuses, immigrant rights and reproductive justice, according to the website.