Top start for the American election primaries. Starting this Monday, January 15, voters in the United States are called to the polls to nominate the candidate they want to see in the presidential election on November 5. The Republican Party opens the ball, with a first caucus which is held, as usual, in Iowa. An important first primary, but which could be paralyzed by extreme weather conditions in this state in the center of the country. This could have consequences on the results, even if Donald Trump is the favorite. The 45th President of the United States will face four candidates to advance to the November 5 election. Facing him, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Asa Hutchinson and Ryan Binkley. Europe 1 profiles the five candidates in the Republican primary.
Donald Trump
Do we still need to introduce the 45th President of the United States? At 77, Donald Trump is embarking on a new election, despite his setbacks with the law. If he leads the polls for this primary, the billionaire’s year will be punctuated by four major trials, some of which could land him in prison and possibly make him ineligible.
While the dates are subject to change, as early as March, he is expected to appear in federal appeals court in Washington for his alleged illicit schemes to overturn the results of the 2020 election, as well as for suspicious payments in the Stormy Daniels affair. In May, a new federal trial will open against him in Florida, for neglecting classified White House documents. A final trial for electoral pressure in the state of Georgia in 2020 is expected to take place later this year, but no date has yet been determined.
Ron DeSantis
© Kevin Dietsch / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP
The governor of Florida was set to be the other strong man in this primary, but the latest polls place him far behind Donald Trump, and now neck and neck with Nikki Haley. At 45, Ron DeSantis has been at the head of the State of Florida since 2019. A graduate of Yale and Harvard, he is a lawyer by profession and was a jurist in the US Navy. He began his political career in the House of Representatives, where he was elected from 2013 to 2018.
Ultraconservative, notably opposed to the right to abortion and LGBT rights, Ron DeSantis proposes a program quite similar to that of Donald Trump, of whom he has long been a supporter. Now rivals, the candidacy of Ron DeSantis was initially well received by Republican voters, but the governor of Florida quickly declined in voting intentions, in favor of the former president.
Nikki Haley
© JOE RAEDLE / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP
She is the only woman in this Republican primary. Aged 51, Nikki Haley was governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017, then United States ambassador to the UN between 2017 and 2018, under the Trump presidency. If the polls announced her far behind the main candidates, Nikki Haley has seen her voting intentions rise over the months, and she is now neck and neck with Ron DeSantis.
The former governor of South Carolina wants to distinguish herself from her competitors with more moderate positions and a smoother image. Her position as ambassador to the UN also gives her numerous skills in foreign policy, particularly on the issue of the war in Ukraine. In favor of lower taxes, Nikki Haley asserts fairly tough positions on the migration issue, but more moderate on the right to abortion.
Vivek Ramaswamy
© TASOS KATOPODIS / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP
Businessman, Vivek Ramaswamy made his fortune in biotechnology. Aged 38, a graduate of Yale and Harvard universities, this political novice likes to imagine himself as a “Trump 2.0”. However, he remains far behind his competitors, according to the latest polls.
With his climate skeptic program, Vivek Ramaswamy puts forward a provocative speech, for example describing environmental activists as a “religious sect”.
Asa Hutchinson and Ryan Binkley
© AFP
Far behind the other candidates, Asa Hutchinson and Ryan Binkley will also participate in these Republican primaries. The first has a long career in politics, was elected to the House of Representatives and governor of the state of Arkansas. The second, Ryan Binkley, is a Texas pastor and entrepreneur.
A final candidate, Chris Christie, former governor of New Jersey, announced his withdrawal from the Republican primary on January 10.