Kamala Harris

Age: 60

Party: Democratic

Running Mate: Tim Walz

Vice President Harris entered the election following the dropout of President Joe Biden on July 21, 2024. Harris, along with her running mate, Governor Walz of Minnesota, plans to create an “opportunity economy and lower costs for families,” specifically to support the middle class. 

Prior to becoming vice president, Harris established herself as a prosecutor; specializing in cases like child sexual abuse and gun violence, eventually moving up to attorney general of California. Together with Walz, they developed a 13-chapter plan divided into two sections to move forward with their agenda.

Donald J. Trump

Age: 78

Party: Republican 

Running Mate: JD Vance 

Former U.S. President Donald J. Trump is in his third candidacy as a Republican. However, during this election, he picked Senator JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate. The 45th president’s platform centers around Agenda47, a plan that contains 20 promises. The first three promises are: seal the border and stop the migrant invasion, carry out the largest deportation operation, and end inflation. 

Trump became most notable for his Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), a tax cut that was signed on Jan 1. 2018 during his presidency. Additionally, he also became the subject of impeachment in 2019 for abuse of power and in 2021 for incitement to insurrection. 

Cornel West

Age: 71

Party: Independent/Unaffiliated 

Running Mate: Melina Abdullah 

Former Harvard and Princeton professor turned Dietrich Bonhoeffer Professor of Philosophy and Christian Practice at Union Theological Seminary, West announced his candidacy as an independent on Oct 5. 2023. Initially running for the Green Party, he dropped out and expressed that as an independent it gives “him the opportunity and duty to deliver policy prescriptions incorporated by and for the people, instead of political parties.”

Alongside West, Dr. Abdullah, a Pan-African studies professor at Cal State LA’s College of Ethnic Studies was picked as his running mate. There are 17 policy pillars under the Cornel West Campaign such as Gun Violence Justice, Worker Justice, and Black Maternal Justice. The goal of West and Abdullah’s candidacy is to “empower poor and working people everywhere” who “seek a choice beyond empire, white supremacy, capitalism, patriarchy, and the confines of the corporate-dominated two-party system.”

Jill Stein

Age: 74

Party: Green Party of the United States

Running Mate: Rudolph “Butch” Ware

Stein was a practicing physician for 25 years, and alongside that, she advocated for people’s health in relation to environmental factors. In 2003, she co-founded the Massachusetts Coalition for Healthy Communities, a nonprofit organization that backed the well-being of Massachusetts residents. Now a presidential candidate, this is her third time running, as she lost both in 2012 and 2016.

Although the purpose is for Stein and Ware to be elected, the organization has other goals such as building the Green Party, maintaining ballot access, and receiving five percent of the popular vote for public funding. Together with Ware, a History, Black studies, and Islamic studies professor at UC Santa Barbara, their campaign stands to focus on three issues: people, planet, and peace.

Chase Oliver

Age: 39

Party: Libertarian Party 

Running Mate: Mike Ter Maat

Oliver is the youngest of the presidential candidates, as well as the first openly gay. He began his political activism after opposing the war in Iraq, later in 2020 he ran for Georgia’s fifth Congressional District and in the 2022 U.S. Senate. Oliver declared his candidacy on April 4. 2023.

Along with Oliver, Ter Maat, who worked in finance and economics for banks and the White House Office of Management and Budget. Their candidacy advocates for 13 issues such as the economy, criminal justice reform, and gun rights. While it may be similar to others, in that they are giving people an alternative choice, Oliver’s campaign focuses on his ability to resonate with the people due to his age. 

Phoenix Mayoral Election 

Kate Gallego

Age: 43

Party: Democratic 

Mayor Gallego is entering her second and final Phoenix mayoral election as her current term comes to an end. The 62nd and second female mayor of Phoenix’s campaign continues to focus on three policies; diversifying the economy, strengthening infrastructure, and making Phoenix a leader in sustainability. 

Gallego is most known for establishing the nation’s first Office of Heat Response and Mitigation as well as bringing a 65 million-dollar semiconductor manufacturing plant to Phoenix. Prior to her term, Gallego was elected to Phoenix City Council in 2013 where she was appointed to congressional district eight until 2018. 

Matt Evans

Age: 36

Party: Republican 

Evans, a former senior DevOps Engineer, will be facing Gallego in the upcoming Phoenix mayoral election. The Phoenix native has a seven-priority agenda, three of which include; homelessness, the fentanyl crisis, and technology. Additionally, his campaign has also placed emphasis on both water management and homelessness. 

Although the Arizona State alumni has little history in politics, he ran for Phoenix City Council in 2022 but lost. Moreover, he said his reasoning “was born out of frustration and determination,” after facing the idea of leaving his hometown.

Senate Race

Kari Lake

Age: 55

Party: Republican

Lake made the switch to politics when she announced her candidacy for Governor of Phoenix in 2021, now running for the 2024 Senate. She was previously known for her 22-year career as a news anchor for KSAZ-TV, a TV station for Fox10 News. However, she left her 27-year career in journalism after disliking the atmosphere.

The former journalist’s campaign advocates for nine issues to put “Arizona first”. The first three issues listed are the “Mama Bear” Initiative, which focuses on families, a 10 point plan to secure the border, cut inflation, and reduce the deficit.

Ruben Gallego

Age: 44

Party: Democrat

Gallego is a Marine Corps veteran turned politician who has served a variety of roles, from The Arizona State House of Representatives in 2010 to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014. He also became known for holding the first U.S. hearing of missing and murdered Indigenous women as a former member of the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States (SCIP).

Gallego started his political venture due to his military experience, wanting to continue to advocate for veteran support both when they were deployed and returned. Gallego campaigns for 13 issues in addition to veterans such as abortion and immigration.