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Kamala Harris Continues to Close in on Trump in 2020 Presidential Election Odds

David Golokhov

by David Golokhov in Politics News

Updated Apr 13, 2020 · 1:59 PM PDT

Kamala Harris
Senator Kamala Harris is the early frontrunner to win the Democratic primaries. Photo by Office of the Attorney General of California (Wiki Commons) [public domain]
  • California Senator Kamala Harris opened at +800 to win the presidency but is now down to +600
  • Harris’ odds improved after a positive showing at a CNN Town Hall event in Iowa
  • The Democratic field is crowded with eight contenders in the field already

2020 is shaping up to be a big year for American politics as we’ll either see four more years of President Donald J. Trump or someone else will supplant him.

The early favorite to do so is Senator Kamala Harris, who is rising up the board.

2020 US Presidential Election Odds

Candidate US Presidential Election 2020 Odds
Donald Trump +200
Kamala Harris +600
Beto O’Rourke +1000
Bernie Sanders +1200
Joe Biden +1200
Cory Booker +2000
Elizabeth Warren +2000
Mike Pence +2000
Tulsi Gabbard +2200
Amy Klobuchar +2500

*All odds taken 2/3

Harris’ Odds Continue to Shorten

Kamala Harris’ 2020 US Presidential Election odds continue to improve. She started out in the +800 range but is now down to +600 – and even shorter at some books – as the calendar flips to February.

She’s the hot name right now as she recently made her run official and then had a Town Hall with CNN that had Twitter abuzz. However, we’re still very early in the process and it’s hard to gauge whether she’ll stick.

It’s important to remember that we’re going to have a fully loaded field on the Democratic side and there will be different “flavors of the month” as the Republicans had before 2016.

Jeb Bush was the guy for a little bit and then some people had Marco Rubio as the front-runner, and then it was John Kasich’s turn. Similarly, the Democratic Party is not united behind one candidate as of yet, so we’re bound to have some fluctuations.

More Candidates Flood The Field

Since we last checked in on the odds, a number of Democrats have jumped into the field. Bernie Sanders is now running and Cory Booker just announced.

We’re about a month into the primaries and you can already see the fractures forming.

Amy Klobuchar and Harris have already sparred on how to handle healthcare, while Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have already unveiled how they plan to tax the ultra-rich.

The party isn’t united behind any one candidate or any one direction, which is a concern. The hard-left are going to be up for more taxes, more social programs, and healthcare for all, while the left-center will be careful on those issues and will try to protect but improve the current healthcare system.

The biggest curveball to the betting lines could be if billionaire and former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz runs.

The biggest curveball to the betting lines could be if billionaire and former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz runs. There’s been a ton of backlash since he put out a feeler in the New York Times last week.

But if he runs, he’ll likely hand the presidency back to Trump. Schultz will split the vote on the left and if the right stays united on Trump, they’re very likely to win. Schultz has reportedly been shocked by the backlash and is reconsidering, though.

Someone Has To Emerge

There are a lot of progressives in the field right now – people like Warren, Sanders and Harris, who plan to make some big changes. There is still plenty of room for a moderate democrat to run, someone like former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg, who could appeal to a wider base.

The challenge is that someone has to emerge. A lot of independents voted for Trump last time around and if there isn’t a centrist option, they might either do the same (if the economy is going well) or sit it out.

The Democrats don’t have that one candidate who fires up the base. The good news is that the party was unified at laying the smackdown on Schultz, so they can do it.

Right now, the trendy pick is Harris. However, it’s hard to keep that momentum going through the summer and fall. She’s the best bet as of now but that doesn’t mean that she’s a good bet.

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