In 2018, then-candidates Prabowo Subianto asked Anies to become his running mate for the 2019 presidential election but refused due to his commitment as governor until 2022.

But at the same time, Nasdem's chairman, Surya Paloh, decided to forge unity between Anies and Muhaimin as a pair of presidential-vice presidential candidates.

[7] The PKS, on the other hand, were disappointed by the sudden decision to pick Muhaimin as a vice-presidential candidate, but remained committed to the coalition.

[8] In October 2022 after speculations from media outlets, Nasdem officially endorsed Anies Baswedan as their candidate for the 2024 election at their headquarters in jakarta.

Several politicians have been named by the campaign team as a potential running mate for Anies, including Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (Chairman of Democratic Party),[9] Khofifah Indar Parawansa (Governor of East Java (2019–present)),[10] Yenny Wahid (Politician and daughter of the 4th President of Indonesia Abdurrahman Wahid),[11] Andika Perkasa (former Commander of Indonesian National Armed Forces),[12] Ahmad Heryawan (Governor of West Java (2008-2018)),[13] and Susi Pudjiastuti (entrepreneur and Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of Indonesia (2014-2019).

Anies and Nasdem claimed that days before the announcement, he admittedly asking the president of Democratic Party, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) to be his running mate, but the Democrats urged Anies and the coalition to announce the candidacy soon due to logistics pressure.

Other high level members included former Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Sudirman Said, former Minister of Trade Thomas Lembong, former Corruption Eradication Commission chairman Abraham Samad, former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of Indonesia Hamdan Zoelva and many others such as Dr. Muhammad Iqbal [id] as their spokesman.

[21] During the grand campaign at Jakarta International Stadium (JIS) on 10 February 2024, Anies and Muhaimin received a criticism because the vest worn by Surya Paloh, Chairman of Nasdem Party which endorsed them, used a design from artificial intelligence (AI).