FACTBOX-The Republican candidates running for US president

Christie has essentially written off Iowa and is focusing on New Hampshire, which holds the second Republican nominating contest. ASA HUTCHINSON The former Arkansas governor launched his bid for the White House in April with a call for Trump to step aside to deal with the former president's first indictment.

(Repeating to additional subscribers) Dec 5 (Reuters) -

Six Republican candidates are seeking the party's nomination to take on Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden, who is running for reelection in the November 2024 presidential contest. Here is a list of the Republican Party's leading candidates:

DONALD TRUMP Trump, 77, has embraced his indictments in four separate state or federal criminal cases - unprecedented for a former American president - which have boosted his popularity among Republicans and helped make him the frontrunner in his party's race for the presidential nomination. Trump has called the indictments part of a politically motivated witch hunt to thwart his pursuit of a second four-year term, an assertion that the Justice Department has denied. In a sign of his extraordinary hold on his party, just two rivals at the first Republican presidential debate on Aug. 23 said they would not support him as the nominee if he were convicted. Trump has vowed to enact tougher immigration restrictions and harsher curbs on trade with China, and to carry out reprisals against those he perceives to have wronged him. He has a firm grip on his party's right wing, but may struggle to get moderates and independents to support him in a general election should he win the Republican nomination.

NIKKI HALEY A former South Carolina governor and Trump's ambassador to the United Nations, Haley, 51, has emphasized her relative youth compared to Biden, 81, and Trump, as well as her background as the daughter of Indian immigrants. Haley has gained a reputation in the Republican Party as a solid conservative who has the ability to address issues of gender and race in a more credible fashion than many of her peers. She has also pitched herself as a stalwart defender of American interests abroad.

She has low single-digit support among Republicans, according to opinion polls. In state-level polls, Haley has typically led rival Ron DeSantis in New Hampshire and South Carolina. RON DESANTIS After a glitch-filled campaign launch in May on Twitter, now called X, DeSantis has positioned himself to the right of Trump on a number of key social issues such as abortion. But his well-funded campaign has struggled to gain traction, and his top donor has said he won't give the Florida governor more money unless DeSantis adopts a more moderate approach. DeSantis, 45, remains nearly 40 percentage points behind the former president in opinion polls. He has fired staff and rebooted his campaign several times since May, but those steps have done little to boost his candidacy. DeSantis' campaign says it is focused on stopping Trump in Iowa, where the party will hold its first nominating contest in January. He got a lift on Nov. 6 when Iowa's popular governor, Kim Reynolds, endorsed him, although one October survey showed him tied with Haley.

VIVEK RAMASWAMY A former biotechnology investor and executive, Ramaswamy, 38, started a company in 2022 to pressure firms to abandon environmental, social, and corporate governance initiatives. The political outsider has stoked grassroots chatter as a potential alternative to Trump. Ramaswamy is a fervent supporter of the former president, and says that if he won the White House, he would pardon Trump. CHRIS CHRISTIE

Christie, 61, advised Trump's White House campaign, but became a vocal critic of the former president after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack. The former New Jersey governor and federal prosecutor stepped up his verbal attacks as Trump faced a growing number of criminal charges. Christie has essentially written off Iowa and is focusing on New Hampshire, which holds the second Republican nominating contest.

ASA HUTCHINSON The former Arkansas governor launched his bid for the White House in April with a call for Trump to step aside to deal with the former president's first indictment. Hutchinson, 73, has touted his experience leading his deeply conservative state as proof he can deliver on policies Republican voters care about, citing tax cuts and job creation initiatives. Still, his name recognition remains limited outside Arkansas. Hutchinson qualified for the first Republican debate, but not the second, third or fourth ones. (Compiled by the Washington newsroom; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

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