Republican Party Presidential Primaries, 2020 (The More Things Changed)

The 2020 Republican Party presidential primaries and caucuses will be a series of electoral contests taking place within all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five United States territories. These elections will select the 2,472 delegates to send to the Republican National Convention, in Charlotte, North Carolina, which will select the Republican Party's nominee for President of the United States in the 2020 general election. The delegates will also approve the party's platform and vice-presidential nominee.

Early Polling
Early polling indicated that three tiers of potential candidates emerged. In the first tier, United States Senator and 2016 primary runner-up Bobby Jindal, Ohio Governor John Kasich, former Indiana Governor and 2016 Vice Presidential nominee Mike Pence, and 2016 Presidential nominee Donald Trump were the early front-runners.

In the second tier of potential candidates were Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, and Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton.

On July 28th, 2017, Representative Mo Brooks of Alabama became the first major candidate to declare his intention to run for the nomination. He was later joined by former Maryland Governor Bob Ehrlich and former Representative Mike Rogers of Michigan.

Declared Major Candidates
Candidates in this section have held public office and/or have been included in five major opinion polls.

Declared Minor Candidates
Candidates in this section have not held public office and/or have been included in five major opinion polls.

Individuals who have Publicly Expressed Interest
Candidates in this section have expressed interest within the last six months.

Speculative Candidates
Candidates in this section have not expressed interest within the last six months.
 * Bobby Jindal, Senator from Louisiana since 2017; Governor of Louisiana (2008-2012), candidate for President in 2012 and 2016
 * Mike Pence, Governor of Indiana (2013-2017); Representative from Indiana (2001-2013), nominee for Vice President in 2016
 * Jeff Flake, Senator from Arizona since 2013; Representative from Arizona (2001-2013)
 * Ben Sasse, Senator from Nebraska since 2015
 * Joni Ernst, Senator from Iowa since 2015
 * Corey Stewart, Governor of Virginia since 2018
 * Eric Bost, Chairman of Our Opportunity since 2014; former Ambassador to South Africa (2006-2009)
 * James Lankford, Senator from Oklahoma since 2015, former Representative from Oklahoma, (2011-2015)
 * John Bolton, former Ambassador to the United Nations, (2005-2006)
 * Dennis Michael Lynch, businessman, film maker, and news personality from New York

Declined Candidates

 * Mike Huckabee, Governor of Florida since 2019; Governor of Arkansas 1996-2007, and candidate for President in 2008 and 2016
 * Rick Scott, Senator from Florida since 2019; Governor of Florida 2011-2019
 * Carly Fiorina, Chair of the Republican National Committee since 2017; Hewlett-Packard CEO (1999-2005), candidate for President in 2016
 * Rick Santorum, Governor of Pennsylvania since 2019; Co-Chair of the White House Task Force on the Minimum Wage 2017-2018, Senator from Pennsylvania 1995-2007, former Representative form Pennsylvania 1991-2005, candidate for President in 2012 and 2016
 * Paul Ryan, former Speaker of the House of Representatives (2015-2017); Representative from Wisconsin (1999-2017), nominee for Vice President in 2012
 * Ivanka Trump, President of Ivanka Trump Lifestyle since 2017; Member of the 2018 New York Constitutional Convention
 * Rudy Giuliani, former Senator from New York (2001-2007), Mayor of New York City (1994-2001), Member of the 2018 New York Constitutional Convention
 * Jeb Bush, 43rd Governor of Florida (1999-2007), candidate for President in 2016
 * Rev. Bill Owens, President of the Coalition of African American Pastors

Primary Debates
In early 2019, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Carly Fiorina announced that the Republican Party would hold twelve debates, beginning in June 2019. If necessary, depending on the number of candidates who meet the threshold, the DNC is prepared to split the first two debates in June and July into consecutive nights. If that happens, the lineup will be determined by random selection, which will take place publicly. During the 2016 primary election, the record number of candidates vying for the nomination - fifteen major candidates - led the party to implement a two-tier system for debates, with highest polling candidates participating in a debate broadcast in prime time, while the lower-polling candidates were relegated to an "undercard" or the "kids' table" debate in the afternoon or early evening. For the 2020 primary, the RNC created a new set of standards that would accommodate a maximum of 20 candidates. To qualify, a candidate must either reach 1% in five approved polls, 2% in three approved polls, or raise at least $100,000 from 500 donors in 25 different states. Each candidate’s slot will be selected by a random drawing.