Pete Buttigieg Now Favored to Win Iowa Precinct Caucus, Warren Given Longer Than 7-1 Odds

• Sportsbooks show Pete Buttigieg as the +126 favorite to the win the Democratic Iowa caucus
• Previous front-runner Elizabeth Warren is now fourth in the odds at +776
• Bernie Sanders (+178) is in second spot

Like a bumper corn crop, Pete Buttigieg has been headed skyward for some time now, and looks poised to reap a bountiful harvest.

Buttigieg has surged in the polls in the first stop of the 2020 Democratic Presidential trail. The Iowa caucuses are slated for Feb. 3 and Mayor Pete could very much be the winner.

Sportsbooks are of that opinion. The latest Iowa caucus odds show Buttigieg as the +126 chalk.

2020 Democratic Iowa Caucus Odds

Odds taken on Dec. 16.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Warren, who was the Iowa favorite in late October, has plummeted to fourth spot with a betting line of +776.

Buttigieg On The Move

There’s been a steady groundswell of support for Buttigieg in Iowa. Lately, it’s turning into a stampede.

In February this year, Mayor Pete spoke in front of a few dozen folks at an Iowa campaign event. When he showed up in Des Moines last month, the place was packed to the rafters. The noise was such that Buttigieg couldn’t get a word in edgewise for over a minute after taking the stage.

A relative unknown to Americans a year ago, Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has taken the approach of saying no to no one during his campaign. He gets his face out there, ensures that his voice is heard and that his message is loud and clear.

Pete Buttigieg is about to speak at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa. There are a *lot* of people here. pic.twitter.com/aKIqd98lkT

— Andrew Egger (@EggerDC) December 7, 2019

Those appearances range from spots on the couch next to Jimmy Kimmel or Jimmy Fallon, to appearances on local podcasts with no more than a few thousand listeners.

In some ways, Buttigieg is marrying old-school politics with new-age technology. He’s young enough to be the most savvy of the Democratic candidates on social media. But he’s also wise enough to embrace the value of the ground game. He’s out there pressing flesh and stumping every chance he gets.

Buttigieg’s roll-up-your-sleeves style of campaigning appeals to older voters. His occasional bouts of cockiness – such as declaring this to be a two-person race between him and Warren – resonate with the younger crowd.

Warren Stumbles

Warren is just the latest of the Democratic candidates for the 2020 Presidential nomination who’s charged to the top, only to be beaten back.

Kamala Harris made a bold move in the summer. Today, she’s no longer in the race.

What’s happened to cause Warren to fade from her favorite’s position in Iowa in less than two months?

For starters, once she made it clear she was a real threat, the other candidates went after Warren’s policies. At the top of that list is Warren’s pledge to eliminate private health insurance and provide Medicare for all.

That’s a hot button issue with a vast number of Americans, and it’s certainly played a role in Warren’s slip in the odds.

For Pete’s Sake

Buttigieg likes to compare his candidacy to a distance race, but the real question is whether he truly has the staying power.

His support among African-American and Latino voters is poor. There’s a theory out there that Buttigieg will do well in Iowa and New Hampshire to start off the campaign but then will fade once the Primaries swing into the deep south.

That’s the future. For now, it’s apparent that Buttigieg and Iowa have made a connection.

He’s a solid bet to win the Iowa caucus.

Pick: Pete Buttigieg (+126)