2024 Republican candidates: Who’s running and how bad would they be for LGBTQ+ rights?

LGBTQ

Five presidential candidates will take centre stage on Wednesday (8 November) for the third Republican debate, and pro-LGBTQ+ candidates are in short supply.

The debate field has continued to narrow down as the rigorous criteria to make it on stage, as set by Republican Party leadership, mounts. 

Only five candidates – Florida governor Ron DeSantis, anti-woke biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former UN Ambassador and South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, South Caroline senator Tim Scott and ex-New Jersey governor Chris Christie – have qualified for the third showdown. 

Thus far, former president Donald Trump has skipped the Republican debates, and he’s declined his invitation to the third date. Despite being a no-show at the events, Trump has maintained his status as the frontrunner in the 2024 Republican race. 

Trump and DeSantis are the clear favourites for the Republican presidential primaries, with both holding immense sway within the party and having dedicated fan bases of right-wing voters.

However, it would be foolish to completely rule out other candidates It’s a race that will focus on LGBTQ+ rights, as hateful rhetoric and damaging talking points are already being used on the campaign trail and in the debates, so here’s your guide to the 2024 Republican candidates.

Donald Trump: The most anti-LGBTQ+ president in recent history

Former President Donald Trump, who is running as a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, wears a white shirt, blue jacket and red hate with his slogan 'Make American Great Again' on it
Donald Trump’s first presidency was marked by an intense attack on LGBTQ+ rights, and he’s using hateful rhetoric to bolster his 2024 presidential campaign. (Getty)

Despite being the first president – former or current – charged with criminal activity, Trump remains the frontrunner in the 2024 Republican candidate race. No other potential candidate has registered in the national polls close to Trump, who has a ravenous crowd of right-wing supporters in the US. 

The former president opened his 2024 bid by promising to ban gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth, attacking hospitals that provide such treatments and pushing for a federal law recognising only two genders if he’s re-elected. 

His four years in the Oval Office were marked by an intense attack on LGBTQ+ rights. He banned trans people from openly serving in the military, called on courts to legalise discrimination against queer people and rolled back Obama-era protections for transgender Americans under the Affordable Care Act.

Ron DeSantis: Florida governor waging war on trans rights

Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who is running in the 2024 Republican presidential candidate run, wears a suit and tie as he waves at a crowd off camera while standing in front of the red and white stripes of the USA flag
Ron DeSantis entered into the 2024 Republican presidential candidate run on 24 May by touting his history of attacking LGBTQ+ rights and the so-called ‘woke’ crowd. (Getty)

The hard-right Florida governor is styling himself as a younger, more electable alternative to Trump, who endorsed DeSantis for his current job

DeSantis is still lagging behind Trump in popularity, but he is seemingly gearing up for a tough race to see who ultimately takes the final spot in the 2024 presidential election. 

The Republican governor opened his presidential bid by emphasising his credentials as a so-called culture warrior, attacking “woke” Democrats and pointing to his DeSantis’ anti-LGBTQ+ history as proof of his worthiness to voters. 

Nikki Haley: Outsider has a solid anti-LGBTQ+ fan base

Nikki Haley, a Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential campaign, wears a black shirt with a US flag on it as she gestures to somewhere behind her and speaks into a microphone
Nikki Haley’s 2024 presidential bid has seen her misgender trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney and claim Ron DeSantis’ ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law “doesn’t go far enough”. (Getty)

Haley may not be a frontrunner in the Republican presidential campaign run – she’s polling fourth behind Trump, DeSantis and Mike Pence (more on him later), but she still has a strong conservative track record among the candidates that could make her appealing to voters. 

She opposed same-sex marriage as South Carolina governor, served as a United Nations ambassador under the Trump administration and claimed Biden’s support of trans inclusion in sports was an attack on women’s rights

Thus far, Haley has used anti-LGBTQ+ talking points to keep her campaign in the headlines. She denounced DeSantis’ ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law – which restrictions LGBTQ+ discussions in schools – for “not going far enough” and misgendered social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

Where does Vivek Ramaswamy stand on LGBTQ equality?

Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who is a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, wears a dark shirt and jacket as he speaks into a microphone
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has written books denouncing corporate ‘wokeism’. (Getty)

The biotech and healthcare entrepreneur is among the long shot Republican candidates in the 2024 presidential election, but he’s steadily grown his own fanbase along the campaign trail.

One of Ramaswamy’s main talking points is that he believes there are only two genders, which he’s even listed among the “truths” on his presidential campaign website, and he often speaks out against the alleged “trans cult in America”

The anti-woke author faced backlash after he described being trans as. “mental health disorder” during the second GOP debate in September. 

He has written books opposing corporate ‘wokeism’ and so-called identity politics, and he joined conservative voices denouncing Target’s LGBTQ+ Pride collection.  

Chris Christie

Chris Christie, who is running to be the Republican nominee in the 2024 US presidential race, wears a blue shirt, red tie and dark suit jacket as he smiles at the camera
Chris Christie, who was once governor of New Jersey, has been inconsistent in his support of the LGBTQ+ community. (Getty)

The former New Jersey governor threw his hat into the ring by throwing barbs at Trump, who he called “self-consumed” and “self-serving”. 

During his time in politics, Christie said has been inconsistent in his support for the LGBTQ+ community. Christie consistently opposed same-sex marriage and vetoed a bill that would’ve allowed queer couples to get married in New Jersey while governor. 

While signing New Jersey’s ban on conversion therapy, he said: “If someone is born that way, it’s very difficult to say then that that’s a sin.” Christie also vetoed a bill that would have allowed trans people in the state to change the gender marker listed on their birth certificates. 

Tim Scott

South Carolina senator Tim Scott, who is a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, wears a blue shirt as he speaks into a microphone in front of a US flag
South Carolina senator Tim Scott’s campaign website includes common anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric that schools and Democrats are ‘indoctrinating’ kids. (Getty)

The South Carolina senator entered the Republican presidential primary on Tuesday (23 May) with promises to take on the “radical left”, revive America’s “culture of greatness” and bring faith and conservative policies to the White House. 

During his time in the Republican Party, Scott supported the US military’s reviled ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy, opposed same-sex marriage and told Newsweek that he considers homosexuality to be morally wrong. 

He also voted against the Respect for Marriage Act and introduced a bill targeting LGBTQ+ inclusion in schools. On his campaign website, Scott claimed Democrats are “replacing education with indoctrination” – damaging rhetoric used by Republicans to attack trans and LGBTQ+ people. 

Asa Hutchinson

Former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson, who is a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, wears a suit and tie as he speaks into a microphone at a conservative religious convention
Asa Hutchinson passed several anti-LGBTQ+ measures into law when he served as governor of Arkansas. (Getty)

Hutchinson launched his presidential campaign in April, saying he was providing an “alternative to Donald Trump” within the GOP. But this hasn’t translated to mass support for Hutchinson’s campaign as he trails far behind Trump. 

As governor of Arkansas, Hutchinson signed into law a trans sports banmisgendered trans kids in a televised interview; approved a bill allowing doctors to refuse to treat LGBTQ+ patients based on religious or moral objections; and passed a revised religious freedom bill that could allow discrimination against queer people.

Doug Burgum

Doug Burgum, who is a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, light red shirt and blue vest as he speaks to someone off camera
North Dakota governor Doug Burgum, who has thrown his hate into the 2024 GOP presidential race, has signed several anti-LGBTQ+ bills into law. (Getty)

The Republican governor of North Dakota announced his candidacy in the Wall Street Journal, saying the US needed a “change in the White House”. The 66-year-old was a software entrepreneur and Microsoft executive before becoming governor in 2016. 

During his time in office, Burgum has signed into law bills banning trans students from participating in school sportsrestricting what bathrooms trans people can use in certain facilities and allowing public school teachers and state government staff to ignore the pronouns of trans students and colleagues.

Ryan Binkley

Ryan Binkley, who is a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, wears a white shirt and blue jacket as he speaks at a rally
The website for Create Church, founded by 2024 Republican presidential candidate Ryan Binkley, states that they believe marriage is between ‘a man and a woman’. (YouTube/WFAA)

The business executive and pastor from Texas is another long shot in a Republican field dominated by established names within the party. 

Binkley’s campaign website states that he wants to restore America’s “faith in God, freedom and each other”.

The website for Create Church, which he founded alongside his wife and is a lead pastor, states that they believe marriage is a “sacred bond between one man and one woman”

Former Candidates

Mike Pence: The worst vice president for LGBTQ+ people in recent times

Mike Pence, who is thought to be a potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate, wears a blue shirt, red tie and dark jacket as he smiles to someone off camera
Former vice president Mike Pence announced his White House bid by attacking gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth. (Getty)

The former vice president under Trump dropped out of the 2024 Republican race in October, saying it was just “not [his] time”. During his time on the campaign trail, Pence compared trans youth accessing life-saving gender-affirming healthcare to ‘kids getting a tattoo before they’re 18’

Pence told the Des Moines Register that he would fully support a federal ban on trans healthcare and so-called “radical gender ideology” if he made it into the Oval Office. 

The former congressman, Indiana governor and vice president to Trump has a track record of opposing LGBTQ+ rights. He strongly opposed same-sex marriages, voted against the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ repeal and supported several anti-LGBTQ+ measures during his time in the Trump administration. 

Perry Johnson

Perry Johnson, who is a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, wears a white shirt, light blue tie and darker blue jacket as he stands in front of a campaign bus
Perry Johnson, a businessman from Michigan, was among the long shot candidates in the 2024 Republican presidential bid. (Getty)

The Republican kicked off his 2024 presidential campaign amid the Conservative Political Action Conference in March and ended it quietly just a few months later in October. It came nearly a year after he was removed from the primary ballot in Michigan’s 2022 gubernatorial race due to invalid petition signatures

Larry Elder

Larry Elder, who is a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, wears a white shirt and dark jacket as he speaks into a microphone and gestures with one had during a conservative, religious conference
Conservative talk radio host Larry Elder has a history of making anti-LGBTQ+ remarks. (Getty)

The conservative talk radio host ended his campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination in October, throwing his support behind Trump.

Elder has a long history of anti-LGBTQ+ remarks and was the top Republican opponent to California governor Gavin Newsom during the unsuccessful recall effort in 2021. 

Will Hurd

Will Hurd, who is a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, wears a light shirt, red tie and dark blue jacket as he speaks at a rally
Will Hurd is a Trump critic and has slammed other Republicans for attacking the LGBTQ+ community instead of ‘focusing their attacks’ elsewhere. (Getty)

In early October, the former Texas representative and a onetime CIA called it quits on his bid for the Oval Office. Hurd is a staunch critic of Trump, who he called a “lawless, selfish, failed politician”, and called on his supporters to back Haley in the race.

In 2019, Hurd was one of eight House Republicans who voted in favour of the Equality Act. During a recent appearance on CNN’s State of the Union, Hurd said he wished his fellow party members would “focus their attacks on war criminals like Vladimir Putin, not [his] friends in the LGBTQ community”. 

But he said the recent Supreme Court ruling siding with a Christian website designer who didn’t want to provide her services for LGBTQ+ weddings was “uncomfortable” but the “right call”

Francis Suarez

Francis Suarez, who is a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, wears a white shirt, red and blue striped tie and dark suit jacket as he speaks to people off camera
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez was initially a proponent of Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law, but he said expanding the anti-LGBTQ+ legislation was “excessive”. (Getty)

The Miami mayor suspended his bid for the presidency in August, dropping out of the race after failing to qualify for the first Republican debate. He was the first Hispanic person to enter the 2024 race

Suarez told NBC News he initially supported DeSantis’ ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law, but he said expanding the anti-LGBTQ+ legislation to all grades was “excessive”. He said that he doesn’t “want little kids being taught about sexuality in the classroom”, but he wanted the US to be a “country that is pro-equal rights for the LGBTQ community”.

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