Potential 2024 Republican candidates

The contest to become the Republican Party's 2024 presidential nominee is heating up, with Nikki Haley, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and longshot candidate Vivek Ramaswamy each announcing runs since the start of the year, and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson joining the fray on April 2.

Another notable move has been the rollout of a campaign-style book by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in which he argues that his approach to managing his state can provide a model for the rest of the country.

And former President Donald Trump appears to be getting a political lift from a Manhattan district attorney's case against him, though some analysts don't see the boost lasting.

See: Trump raised $34 million so far in 2023, including bump from indictment

The first official debate of the GOP presidential primary will be held in Milwaukee in August.

On the Democratic side, President Joe Biden kicked off his re-election campaign on Tuesday, with the move coming even as most Americans don't approve of his performance. The president is talking up the strong job market and his legislative record.

Below is MarketWatch's list of potential Republican presidential contenders and the status of their candidacies.

The list above features relatively high-profile names, but there are lesser-known GOP presidential hopefuls as well, such as Aaron Day, who is known in part for his 2016 run against former New Hampshire GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte; Perry Johnson, a former gubernatorial candidate in Michigan; Steve Laffey, a former Cranston, R.I., mayor; and former Montana Secretary of State Corey Stapleton.

Democrats seem to be closing ranks behind Biden, although author and activist Marianne Williamson said she's seeking the party's nomination again and vigorously defended her decision to challenge the president in an extensive question-and-answer session with MarketWatch. Anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also is mounting a longshot challenge to Biden, as he held a kickoff event for his campaign last week.