The lineup of Independent Presidential candidates looks set to grow in 2024, with several new players priming to enter the race.
Independent candidates are a long shot for winning the Presidency, but their presence can have a significant impact on the outcome of the race, evidenced by Ross Perot in 1992 and Ralph Nader in 2000.
With the midterms fast approaching, and Presidential candidates likely to announce their intentions following that, these are the five most likely Independent candidates for 2024.
Liz Cheney
The Wyoming Republican is set to become the most influential Independent candidate if she decides to run without party affiliation in 2024.
Cheney has fueled speculation she wouldn’t be tied to the GOP if Trump wins the party’s nomination in 2024.
Her opposition to Trump cost her Wyoming’s only House seat after support for her among Trump’s loyal base rapidly declined. But following her loss, she indicated she was “thinking about” a 2024 run and would do “whatever it takes” to stop Trump from being President again.
However, a recent Yahoo News-YouGov poll shows Cheney would most likely hurt Biden rather than Trump if she pursued an Independent presidential campaign.
Andrew Yang
In 2020 Yang, a businessman campaigned to be the Democrats’ presidential candidate. As expected, he lost. However, in October 2021, he announced he would leave the Democrats to run as an Independent, founding the Forward Party later that month.
The businessman fueled speculation he would run in 2024 after announcing he was merging with Renew America Movement, made up of former Republican officials, and the Serve America Movement, which includes former Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.
Howard Stern
The popular radio host announced in June he was considering running for President in 2024, explaining that he’d only throw his hat in the race if Trump became the Republican nominee.
Ye
The rapper formerly known as Kanye West made a long-shot bid in 2024, running as an Independent under his political party “Birthday Party.” Following his defeat in the 12 states where he was on the ballot, he announced on Twitter his intention to run in 2024, simply tweeting “Kanye 2024.”
Dwayne Johnson
The actor and former wrestler made his intentions to run for President known as early as 2016 when he tweeted a think piece about why he would run.
In 2016, he confirmed those aspirations to USA Today, saying he was “seriously considering” running in 2020.
Though he ultimately decided against it, Johnson told Variety later in 2017 that 2024 was a more “realistic consideration.”
