Former President Donald Trump is aiming to retake the office he lost to President Joe Biden in 2020. Trump has largely retained his base of supporters and stronghold on the Republican Party despite facing legal investigations from the Justice Department and state authorities. The Supreme Court is poised to decide whether Trump can be kept off the ballot because of his alleged efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss, a ruling that could either solidify or complicate his path to become only the second candidate to return to the Oval Office after his ouster.

Abortion: Noncommittal on a national abortion ban despite appointing the Supreme Court justices that helped overturn Roe v. Wade.

Climate Change: Supporter of fossil fuel production, frequently mocking climate scientists.

Ukraine War: Said he believes the war is not a vital U.S. interest and should be handled by Europe.

Immigration: Plans to deport undocumented immigrants and may once again ban travelers from several majority-Muslim countries. Continues to promote greater militarization of the southern border.

Trump Investigation: Denies any wrongdoing and criticizes the justice system for its investigations.

China: Claims to be tough on China, vowing to decouple the U.S. economically, but regularly praises President Xi Jinping.

Economic Policy: Signed $1.5 trillion in tax cuts in 2017, permanently reducing taxes for corporations from 35 percent to 21 percent and reducing taxes on individuals through at least 2025.

Transgender Rights: Barred transgender service members from the military and eliminated protections against discrimination by doctors and insurers. Vows to sign national ban on medically-endorsed transition care for minors.

Social Security and Medicare: Claims that he will not cut the programs but opposes raising taxes to solidify funding for them.

Israel: Promises “full support” for Israel and said he wants to bar Gazan refugees from entering the U.S.

Democracy: Attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 elections and continues to claim that it was stolen.

Education: Wants to eliminate the Department of Education and impose ideological requirements on schools, requiring them to eliminate instruction on LGBTQ+ and gender identity issues.

Health Care: Vows to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Trump commands far and away the greatest number of endorsements of any Republican candidate. He has been endorsed by at least 8 governors, 20 GOP senators and 106 House Republicans, including current House Speaker Mike Johnson. Former Republican presidential candidate and South Dakota Governor Doug Burgum also endorsed Trump.

The Trump campaign had raised $60 million and had $37 million cash on hand, according to October 2023 campaign disclosure reports. Between Jan. 1, 2023 and Jan. 7, 2024, Trump’s campaign and super PAC spent $9.97 million on ads in Iowa.

Trump is polling at 48%, according to the Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll released on Jan. 13.

Nikki Haley is a former governor of South Carolina and United Nations ambassador under Trump. She frequently highlights her foreign policy and executive experience as setting her apart from other candidates and making her a member of “a new generation of leadership.” She has been considered a rising star in the Republican Party for her ability to appeal to both the extreme and moderate bases. Haley is the only woman running for the Republican nomination.

Abortion: Supports a 15-week national abortion ban.

Climate Change: Criticizes efforts to reduce emissions, but supports carbon-capture technology.

Ukraine War: Vows to continue supporting Ukraine without sending American troops. Claims that it is “in the best interest of America” for Ukraine to defeat Russia.

Immigration: Wants to restore Trump’s “remain in Mexico” policy, add 25,000 Border Patrol and ICE agents and withhold funding from immigrant “sanctuary cities." Said she would consider barring entry to the U.S. for people coming from certain Middle East countries, citing Iran, Lebanon and Yemen as examples.

Trump Investigation: Alleges that the investigations into Trump are “political” prosecutions and has committed to pardoning him if elected. 

China: Claims that China is responsible for the majority of the deaths caused by fentanyl and opposes any economic cooperation. 

Economic Policy: Blames high government spending for inflation and says that both parties have been responsible for increasing the national debt. Vows to veto any budget that does not put the U.S. on track to return to prepandemic spending levels. Calls for the removal of the federal gas tax and wants to “collapse” tax brackets.

Transgender Rights: Signed a pledge declaring “sex is binary” and frequently frames transgender rights as a threat to women, particularly in reference to girl’s sports.

Social Security and Medicare: Suggested that she may raise the Social Security retirement age for people currently in their 20s to reflect increases in life expectancy.

Israel: Supports the U.S. providing whatever resources Israel says it needs to eliminate Hamas.

Democracy: States that Biden’s victory in 2020 was not stolen, but frequently discusses her belief that voter fraud is a national crisis.

Education: Wants to shrink the Department of Education and implement school-choice programs nationwide.

Health Care: Opposes expanding Medicaid, but says it is unacceptable for the U.S. to have such expensive health care. Vows to ensure that there is greater transparency when it comes to hospitals and insurance companies.

Haley’s one major endorsement came from Chris Sununu, governor of New Hampshire, which has contributed to her strong polling in the state.

The Haley campaign had raised nearly $19 million and had $11 million cash on hand as of October 2023 campaign disclosure reports. Between Jan. 1, 2023 and Jan. 7, 2024, Haley’s campaign and super PAC spent $18.16 million on ads in Iowa.

Haley is polling at 20%, according to the Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll released on Jan. 13.

DeSantis has made a name for himself nationally as governor of Florida, leading a new wave of conservatism highlighted by restrictions against LGBTQ+ individuals and government regulation of school curriculum. DeSantis has led Florida’s transition from a swing state to a distinctly red state, winning his elections by margins much greater than pollsters predicted. He has been described as being the alternative to Trump — supporting very similar policies to Trump without carrying the legal baggage.

Abortion: Signed a six-week ban in Florida and has indicated support for a 15-week national ban.

Climate Change: Dismisses concerns about climate change, saying that he rejects “the politicization of the weather.” Said that he believes human activity is one of many factors contributing to a changing climate and vows to “unleash our domestic energy sector” using fossil fuels.

Ukraine War: Said that the war is not a vital U.S. interest and the U.S. should stop sending military aid to Ukraine. Endorsed a cease-fire, claiming that Europe needs to do more to end the violence.

Immigration: Said he will introduce a policy that includes mass deportations and license to kill some border crossers. Vows to end birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants and finish building the border wall by taxing the money migrants send home.

Trump Investigation: Alleges that the justice system is corrupt and said that he would consider pardoning Trump. Claims that Trump acted inappropriately but is facing unfair trials.

China: Claims that China is “the number one geopolitical threat this country faces” and wants to end normal trade relations. Banned TikTok, a Chinese-owned company, from government and school-issued devices in Florida. Signed a law barring some Chinese citizens from purchasing land near critical infrastructure.

Economic Policy: Said that he would implement a flat tax in place of the current system, which would allow most citizens to pay the same rate regardless of income. Proposed eliminating the Internal Revenue Service.

Transgender Rights: Enacted a law in Florida that bans transition care for minors and heavily restricts it for adults. Signed a law criminalizing transgender people’s use of bathrooms matching their identity. Banned instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in schools K-12.

Social Security and Medicare: Said he would consider Social Security cuts for younger Americans if life expectancy increases. 

Israel: Said that the U.S. must stand with Israel, and that Israel “not only has the right to defend itself against these attacks, it has a duty to respond with overwhelming force.” 

Democracy: Signed laws that introduced more eligibility requirements for voting in Florida and has largely avoided the question of whether the 2020 election was fair.

Education: Wants to eliminate the Department of Education and implement school-choice programs nationwide. Implemented significant restrictions regarding instruction on race and gender in Florida, but claims he would not pursue ideological restrictions nationwide. Banned Florida schools from teaching an Advanced Placement course on African American history.

Health Care: Voted numerous times to repeal the Affordable Care Act while in Congress. Vows to pursue legislation that would supersede Obamacare and calls for the lowering of prescription drug costs, but has not indicated what his policy would entail.

DeSantis received endorsements from two governors, including Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, and five House Republicans. Bob Vander Plaats, an influential evangelical leader in Iowa who commands a significant following among one of Iowa’s largest voting blocs, also extended a highly coveted endorsement to DeSantis.

The DeSantis campaign had raised $31 million and had $12 million cash on hand as of October 2023 campaign disclosure reports. Between Jan. 1, 2023 and Jan. 7, 2024, DeSantis’ campaign and super PACs spent $15.53 million on ads in Iowa.

DeSantis is polling at 16%, according to the Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll released on Jan. 13.

Ramaswamy, an investor, former pharmaceutical company CEO and author, is running as a self-described political outsider, relying on his charisma, intelligence and personal wealth to gain the voters’ attention. He has gained more support than many predicted, potentially a result of his significant ground-game in Iowa that includes more events than any other candidate. Without any political experience, Ramaswamy has garnered comparisons to Trump, and his policies are nearly identical on many issues. At 38, he is by far the youngest candidate.

Abortion: Opposes a national ban but supports six week state bans.

Climate Change: Repeatedly rejects scientific evidence that carbon emissions are hurting the environment, opposing all government efforts to reduce emissions. 

Ukraine War: Said that the U.S. should end military aid, and Ukraine should agree to concede territory to Russia to ensure that Russia and China do not become closer allies.

Immigration: Calls for the militarization of the border and suggested sending troops into Mexico to help defeat the drug cartels. Said he wants to universally deport undocumented immigrants and their American-born children. Vows to eliminate the H1-B visa system that allows immigrants to remain in the U.S. for work.

Trump Investigation: Fiercely denies any Trump wrongdoing and has urged all the Republican candidates to pledge to pardon Trump if elected. Continues to claim collusion between President Biden and the justice department.

China: Vows to forbid many U.S. companies from doing business in China until the Chinese Communist Party falls or “radically reforms.” Said that he would support using military force to defend Taiwan against China if the U.S. is reliant on Taiwan for semiconductors.

Economic Policy: Said he will increase Gross Domestic Product by stopping efforts to combat climate change. Supports a 12 percent flat tax.

Transgender Rights: Claims that transgenderism is a mental illness and has referred to it as a “secular religion.” Supports a national ban on transition care for minors and the elimination of training programs aimed at increasing social acceptance.

Social Security and Medicare: Said he will not cut the programs but has explicitly said that he does not have a plan for keeping them funded.

Israel: Claims that phasing out U.S. aid to Israel is the best path, while continuing to provide Israel with diplomatic support and munitions to defend its homeland.

Democracy: Said that if he were in former Vice-President Mike Pence’s position on Jan. 6, he would not have certified the results of the election unless Congress agreed to majority reform the electoral system. Wants to raise the voting age to 25 unless they serve in the military or pass a civics test. Vows to ban mail-in voting altogether.

Education: Wants to eliminate the Department of Education and introduce greater incentives to transition children out of public schools.

Health Care: Vows to simplify and speed up the approval process for new drugs. Plans to create a more competitive market by eliminating antitrust exemptions for insurers. Said that he cannot promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act because it is contingent on Congress.

Ramaswamy’s one notable endorsement came from Iowa Treasurer Roby Smith.

The Ramaswamy campaign had raised $26 million and had $4 million cash on hand as of October 2023 campaign disclosure reports. Ramaswamy has self-funded roughly $16 million of the $26 million raised. Between Jan. 1, 2023 and Jan. 7, 2024, Ramaswamy’s campaign and super PAC spent $9.97 million on ads in Iowa.

Ramaswamy is polling at 8%, according to the Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll released on Jan. 13.