Meet your 2024 presidential candidates

Candidates’ stances on issues college students care about

Compiled by Alejandra Smith

Staff Writer

Democratic Party

President Joe Biden

Joe Biden

College/Loans: Student loan forgiveness

Healthcare: Lower the cost of healthcare; Affordable Care Act

Gun Control: Ban the sale of assault weapons; required background checks; supports red flag laws.

Immigration: Increase refugee admissions; supports citizenship for undocumented workers in the US.

Economic Improvement: Increase taxes on the wealthy; “Bidenomics”

Israel-Palestine: “We stand firmly with the Israeli people as they defend themselves against the murderous nihilism of Hamas,” Biden wrote in an op-ed.

US Rep. Dean Phillips

Dean Phillips

College/Loans: Lower the cost of higher education

Healthcare: Free universal healthcare; end medication price-gouging

Gun Control: Ban the sale of assault weapons

Immigration: Enhanced border security; naturalization for undocumented people living in America; make the citizenship process easier

Economic Improvement: Higher wages for workers; lower food, fuel and childcare costs; strengthen Social Security

Israel-Palestine: “There needs to be a cease-fire, and Hamas has to be eliminated,” Phillips said in an interview on NewsNation.

Republican Party

Former President Donald Trump

Donald Trump

College/Loans:  Opposes student loan forgiveness, but proposed ending subsidized loans and reducing number of loan repayment plans.

Healthcare: Expand healthcare choice, transparency and affordability; eliminated Obamacare.

Gun Control: Does not support gun restrictions.

Immigration: Reinstate immigration policies from first presidential term; end birthright citizenship for undocumented people; eliminate asylum fraud

Economic Improvement: Tackle inflation through “energy independence”; lower the interest rate; tax relief for the middle class

Israel-Palestine: “There was no bigger advocate and defender of Israel than President Trump,” said Trump’s spokesman, Steven Cheung, according to reporting from the Associated Press.

Former US Ambassador Nikki Haley

Nikki Haley

College/Loans: Opposes student loan forgiveness, but suggested halting accruing interest on loans until a student has finished their schooling.

Healthcare: Lower the cost of healthcare; expand medicare advantage plans

Gun Control: Does not support gun restrictions; expand concealed carry rights

Immigration: Deport undocumented immigrants; end birthright citizenship for undocumented people; reinstate “Remain in Mexico” policy

Economic Improvement: Tax relief for middle-class families; eliminate the federal gas and diesel tax;

Israel-Palestine: “There should be no cease-fire. There should be peace that comes from Israel’s total victory over Hamas,” Haley said in a post on X.

See the Voice’s voter registration guide for an election timeline and polling place information.

These candidates have ended or suspended their campaigns, but may still appear on the ballot:

Marianne Williamson: Democrat

Chris Christie: Republican

Ron DeSantis: Republican

Asa Hutchinson: Republican

Vivek Ramaswamy: Republican

In most cases, absentee voters have the option to change or spoil their vote if a candidate drops out of the race.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify that a statement on Trump’s stance on Israel-Palestine came from his campaign spokesperson.

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